Department for Education

Further Education and Higher Education

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support students whose multi year college and university courses are cancelled prior to their completion.

Robert Halfon: The government established the Office for Students (OfS) as the independent regulator for higher education (HE) in 2018. As a pre-condition for registration, the OfS requires all HE providers to submit student protection plans for approval. This means that all HE providers registered with the OfS must have a student protection plan in place.Student protection plans set out what students in HE can expect to happen should a course, campus, or institution close. The purpose of a plan is to ensure that students can continue and complete their studies, or can be compensated if this is not possible.In the event of a change in a provider’s circumstances, such as a significant course closure or a campus closure, the OfS will work closely with the provider and its students to ensure that students’ interests continue to be protected. Universities have previously worked to reduce the impact on students in a variety of ways, many universities have awarded degrees when they have enough evidence of a student’s prior attainment to do so. Others have assigned provisional grades to students to allow them to progress.Where a student complaint cannot be resolved through the institution’s own complaint processes, the student can ask for their complaint to be reviewed by the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education in England (OIA), which was set up to review student complaints about higher education providers in England. The OIA's website gives details about eligibility criteria and how to make a complaint.Further education colleges are autonomous organisations, therefore they are responsible for the management of their operations. If a college has to withdraw a course, or if there is a change to the course provision, we would expect college course leaders to give affected students as much help and support as possible to find a suitable alternative course.

Teachers: Mathematics

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of bursaries for teacher training in mathematics and primary with mathematics.

Nick Gibb: There is strong evidence that offering bursaries increases Initial Teacher Training (ITT) recruitment. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has published research that corroborates Departmental analysis that a £1,000 increase in bursary value results in an approximate 3% increase in applicants on average, all other things being equal.For those starting ITT in the 2023/24 academic year, the Department is offering tax free bursaries of £27,000 and scholarships of £29,000 in secondary mathematics. The Department does not currently offer a bursary for primary with mathematics. The total ITT financial incentives package is worth up to £181 million for the 2023/24 academic year, a £52 million increase on the previous year.The Department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the offer for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. In doing this, a number of factors are taken into account including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject and phase.

Mathematics: Education

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the the effectiveness of Maths Hubs.

Nick Gibb: The Maths Hubs’ flagship Teaching for Mastery programme is based on teaching approaches used in top performing East Asian jurisdictions such as Shanghai and Singapore. It encompasses several approaches focused on ensuring that pupils genuinely know, understand and can apply mathematics. Maths Hubs are increasing engagement with the programme with the aim of reaching 75% of primary schools and 65% of secondary schools by 2025.There are several studies on the effectiveness of mastery teaching methods in England. The Centres for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching for Mastery Randomised Controlled Trial, published in March 2023, which provided mastery teaching support for GCSE resits, found that pupils on the full intervention made one month of additional progress in attainment compared with pupils in colleges that were not using Teaching for Mastery. Pupils from a disadvantaged background benefitted the most and research showed they made two months of additional progress.Ofsted’s mathematics subject report, published on 13 July, builds on this, highlighting the contribution of the Maths Hubs offer to notable improvements in the quality of mathematics education since 2012. The report highlights that the overall picture of mathematics education in England is broadly healthy, with support and resources from Maths Hubs being well used by headteachers, enabling many teachers to receive high quality, subject specific career personal development.The report also says that primary mathematics education has seen a resounding, positive shift with curriculum sitting at the heart of head teachers’ decisions and actions, whilst secondary mathematics education has seen notable improvements in curriculum guidance and professional development, though the Department recognises that there is much more to be done. The report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/subject-report-series-maths/coordinating-mathematical-success-the-mathematics-subject-report.England performs above the international averages for mathematics in all international studies of school aged pupils. In particular, England achieved its highest ever mathematics score in both the 2019 TIMSS international test for year 5 pupils, and the 2018 PISA test of 15 year olds. The 2018 PISA test showed that the performance of 15 year olds improved significantly in mathematics, particularly for lower attaining pupils.

Schools: Music

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children who have had access to a musical instrument in schools in England in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not record estimates of the number of children who have had access to a musical instrument in schools in England.As part of the National Plan for Music Education published in 2022, the Government announced a £25 million capital fund for musical instruments which will be distributed across all Music Hubs from September 2024.Since their inception in 2012, Music Hubs have offered support to all local schools within their area, to ensure all pupils have access to musical instruments, as well as access to a high quality music education and to develop their musical interests and potential.

Racial Discrimination: Education

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2023 to Question 196522 on Racial Discrimination: Education, what steps her Department takes when schools teach contested theories and opinions as fact.

Nick Gibb: In 2022, the Department published guidance to schools to help them meet their statutory duties. The guidance was clear that political issues relating to racial and social justice can be taught in a balanced and factual manner, just as pupils are often taught about a range of different views on other topics, but schools should not teach contested theories and opinions as fact.Where there are concerns that a school has not acted impartially, the Department recommends that these are raised with the school directly, as most issues will be able to be resolved without using formal complaints procedures.Often simple steps can be taken to address concerns. This might include clarification about the nature of teaching or assurances about any processes in place to ensure legal duties on political impartiality are being met.Where parents and carers remain dissatisfied, they can raise a formal complaint, in line with the school’s complaints procedure. In instances where all stages of the local complaints process have been followed but it has not been resolved, a further complaint can be made to the Department who will look into whether it has been dealt with satisfactorily.

Basic Skills: Selby and Ainsty

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to improve children's oracy skills in Selby and Ainsty constituency.

Nick Gibb: The Department recognises the importance of oracy, which is why spoken language is already part of the National Curriculum for English for 5 to 16 year olds. For Early Years, the Department is investing up to £17 million in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, improving the language skills of reception age pupils who need it most following the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the Department has secured over £28 million to support the speech and language of pupils worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which are today’s 3 and 4 year olds, delivered through the new family hubs network. In secondary schools, the GCSE English Language qualification ensures that pupils are able to listen to and understand spoken language and use spoken Standard English effectively. Provisional 2023 data published by Ofqual shows that overall entries to GCSE English Language increased by 4.9% since summer 2022. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series#gcse-entries. The Department funds the National Poetry Recitation Competition, which encourages both primary and secondary schools to participate, to improve pupils’ knowledge and enjoyment of poetry and to improve oracy through poetry recitation and recall. The £67 million English Hubs Programme, launched in 2018, is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Since its launch, the English Hubs Programme has provided appropriate and targeted support to several thousand schools in England. ​Selby and Ainsty's local English Hub, Outwood English hub, is working to engage and support primary schools across the region to improve the teaching of phonics, including offering showcase events especially for local schools. Outwood English Hub is planning to host a showcase at the Parsonage Hotel and Spa in Escrick later in the Autumn term.

Exercise: Schools

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will discuss with The Daily Mile the implications for her policies of their pilot projects engaging parents in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department has been working alongside The Daily Mile and Sport England to support more nurseries and schools to take up The Daily Mile. Officials will continue to work with The Daily Mile to understand how the initiative is being delivered in schools, including through their research and insight projects.

Free School Meals

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of extending eligibility for free school meals on (a) the economy, (b) health and (c) education.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment on the adequacy of her Department’s free school meals policy across England.

Nick Gibb: Since 2010, the number of pupils receiving a free school meal (FSM) has increased by more than two million. This increase in provision is due to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with one in six in 2010.The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables pupils in low income households to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department does not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions for FSM. The Department continues to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. The Department also continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments to provide support to disadvantaged families.

Schools: Buildings

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which Minister in her Department is responsible for school building safety.

Nick Gibb: The Minister in the Department for Education who is responsible for school building safety is Baroness Barran.

Teachers: Training

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that teaching staff receive appropriate training to support students with (a) autism and (b) sensory issues.

Nick Gibb: All teachers need to be equipped to teach pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). High quality teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all pupils, including those with autism.Training and development to support pupils with autism starts at the beginning of a teacher’s training through their Initial Teacher Training (ITT) course, which is then embedded through the Early Career Framework (ECF). Careful consideration has been given to the needs of trainee teachers in relation to supporting pupils with SEND, and the ECF builds on that training for early career teachers.Once teachers qualify and are employed in schools, head teachers also use their professional judgement to identify any further training, including specific specialisms, for individual staff that is relevant to them, the school, and its pupils, for example, through the Universal Services Programme.The programme offers online training, professional development groups, bespoke school and college improvement projects, sector led research, autism awareness training and a focus on preparation for adulthood, including employer led webinars. The programme commenced in May 2022 and will run until Spring 2025.So far, 6,500 school and college staff have accessed free online training modules, and 81 schools and over 135 colleges have identified and led their own SEND focused school improvement project. These projects focused on SEND Governance, teaching assistant deployment, early identification of SEND and curriculum.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to release the strategic guidance on how Regional Expert Partnerships will engage with local partners on refining proposals in the SEND Improvement Plan.

David Johnston: The high level strategic guidance and its accompanying strategic delivery plan template will be shared with Change Programme Partnerships (CPPs) ahead of the launch event on 19 September 2023. The event will bring together local authorities and their partners from all nine CPPs to set out expectations for testing the reforms and ensure robust action plans are being put in place. It will also provide access to teams from the Department for Education and the external Delivery Partner who will support CPPs throughout the lifetime of the programme, including helping them to draft their strategic plans.

Department for Education: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to ensuring that it meets the requirements of the Public Sector Websites and Applications Regulations. The Department has published guidance on how to implement accessibility standards and understand conformance. The Department has an accessibility support team that helps delivery teams to understand and raise awareness of accessibility. The Department plans to create a new standard for accessibility and a framework for compliance, governance and supporting processes.The Department is committed to improving the user experience for people who interact with its data, digital and technology services. The Department wants to make sure that its services are accessible, friendly, and seamless and is working towards creating smoother journeys for users. User Centred Design practices are used to design and test improvements to its digital services.The Department is working towards all its citizen facing services using GOV.UK’s One Login for identity management, where possible, so that users only need to remember one login to use government services.Through a commitment made in Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth, published in January 2021, the Department is launching a new website to showcase all the different skills offers available in one place. This single digital starting point will make it easier for users to search for and compare opportunities that suit them.

GCSE

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of pupils taking GCSEs received the grades 9 to 1 in each subject in each region of England in each academic year since the introduction of that grading system.

Nick Gibb: This information can be found in the attached file, alongside accompanying footnotes including information on the comparability of data during the COVID-19 pandemic.This data covers attainment in state funded schools in the 2018/19 to 2021/22 academic years. The data is based on the number of entries for each subject, as opposed to the specific number of pupils although due to discounting rules, these tend to be very similar.Exam_entries_and_grades (xlsx, 339.8KB)

Teachers: Recruitment

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what sum her Department spent on the recruitment of teachers in each of the past five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department funds a range of initiatives to support Initial Teacher Training (ITT) recruitment.The Department has announced a financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting initial ITT in the 2023/24 academic year. The Department is providing bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage trainees to apply to train in key secondary subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.As well as bursaries and scholarships, the ITT financial incentives budget includes grant funding for salaried ITT courses.The Department recently announced that the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award for teachers and head teachers have been accepted in full. This means that teachers and head teachers in maintained schools will receive a pay award of 6.5%. This is the highest pay award for teachers in over thirty years. The award also delivers the manifesto commitment of a minimum £30,000 starting salary for school teachers in all regions in England, with a pay award of up to 7.1% for new teachers outside London.

Further Education and Higher Education: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential role of (a) further education colleges and (b) universities in tackling the level of inequality of educational outcomes for children in Enfield North constituency.

Robert Halfon: Spreading opportunity is a top priority for this government. In education, ability is evenly spread but opportunity is not. We need to reduce the dependency of people’s education and skills outcomes on where they live by ensuring that in every area, children can access excellent schools, progress to high quality technical and higher education, and go into good jobs.This government is focused on levelling up opportunities so that every young person, regardless of their background or geographic location, can get the skills and training needed to secure rewarding, well-paid jobs and move up the ladder of opportunity.To help improve people’s lives and boost the economy, the government’s skills mission sets out an ambition for 200,000 more people to complete high quality training in England each year by 2030. This includes 80,000 more people completing courses in areas of England with the lowest skills levels.We want to make sure we are raising skill levels in the places where they are the lowest, so that more people have the skills they need to get good jobs.Skills are a crucial driver of economic disparities between people and places. Boosting skills improves human capital and is a clear way to improve the earnings potential and life chances of people who have already left school.This government has built a new skills system from the ground up as we recognise that skills are crucial in driving long-term economic growth and is taking forward major reforms set out in the Skills for Jobs White Paper: delivering T Levels, boosting apprenticeships, approving Higher Technical Qualifications, rolling out Skills Bootcamps, and introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement from 2025.In November 2021, we issued guidance to the Office for Students, asking it to refocus the access and participation regime to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their education.Prior attainment is a key determinant of successful participation in HE. That is why we have asked universities to take on a more direct role in driving up the standards in schools. The department wants universities to:Work more with schools and colleges to raise standards so that students have more options and can choose the path that is right for them.Move away from just getting disadvantaged students through the door, and instead tackle dropout rates and support students through university to graduation and into high skilled, high paid jobs.Offer more courses that are linked to skills and flexible learning such as degree apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications, and part time courses. The department is funding Uni Connect through the Strategic Priorities Grant at £30 million for 2023/24. Uni Connect delivers targeted interventions and support aimed at increasing the number of young people from under-represented areas going into FE and HE by bringing together universities, colleges and local partners.There are three Uni Connect partnerships in London; Access HE works with under-represented young people in North London, including those from Enfield.So far over one million young people from underrepresented groups have engaged with the Uni Connect programme.

Carers: Finance

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of financial support available to kinship carers.

David Johnston: On 2 February 2023, the department published the children’s social care implementation strategy and consultation ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, which set out how we will achieve broad, system-wide transformation.Through this strategy we have made a commitment to implement or explore each of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care recommendations on kinship care.The department will publish our kinship strategy later this year which will set out a range of policies designed to support kinship families in England.Financial support is a vital element of enabling children to remain within their family and friends’ network and we are considering how we can further support carers beyond the existing support local authorities provide for kinship carers.

Schools: Air Conditioning

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of using air purifying equipment in schools on levels of covid-19 infections in schools.

Nick Gibb: Good ventilation can reduce the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19.Evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies demonstrates that CO2 monitoring is an effective method of identifying poor ventilation in spaces with multiple occupants. The Department knows that sufficient ventilation can be challenging, particularly in the winter months when staff sometimes feel they need to choose between fresh air to reduce the risk of airborne illnesses, keeping classrooms warm and the impact of increased heating costs. As such, the Department has provided CO2 monitors for approximately 100% of eligible teaching spaces in England. This will help staff balance good ventilation with energy usage whilst maintaining a comfortable temperature in rooms.These CO2 monitors enable the ventilation in teaching spaces to be monitored. Where these monitors consistently identified poor ventilation that could not be easily remedied, schools were able to apply for Department funded air cleaning units (ACU). The Department has now provided over 9,000 ACUs to eligible settings.In general, ACUs can help reduce airborne contaminants in poorly ventilated spaces. ACUs remove particulate matter, including virus particles, from the air to improve indoor air quality. The air purifiers provided by the Department work using high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter technology. There is strong evidence from laboratory studies of the efficacy of HEPA filtration technology at removing airborne viruses from the air. However, although they help improve air quality, ACUs do not reduce CO2 levels or improve ventilation, so it is important that they are not used as a substitute for ventilation or a reason to reduce it.Department officials sit on the working group for a project looking at the implications and potential benefits of fitting schools with air cleaning technology, which is the Bradford classroom air cleaning technology trial. This was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and managed through the UK Health Security Agency. The study is run from the Centre for Applied Education Research which is based at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. The trial has concluded and the academic leads intend to publish the results in a peer reviewed journal in due course.

Department for Education: National Security

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

Nick Gibb: The Government identifies and assesses risks to the nation through; the internal classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external National Risk Register, the most recent version of which was published in August.As set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework, each risk in the National Security Risk Assessment is owned and managed within Lead Government Departments.Where those risks, including national security risks, relate to the work of the Department for Education they are managed through the Department’s risk management processes. This includes oversight from a Chief Risk Officer.For example, within the Cabinet Office, risk is managed and recorded through centralised risk registers that are reported monthly to the Performance and Risk Committee and quarterly to the Executive Committee.

Universities: Assessments

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support students who have not received a degree mark due to strike action by university staff; and if she will take steps to compensate those students affected by the time taken to provide a mark.

Robert Halfon: Unlike some other education sectors where the government has taken part in negotiations with trade unions, universities are autonomous. They are therefore responsible for the pay and pension provision of their staff.The University and College Union (UCU) announced the end to the marking and assessment boycott on 6 September 2023. While the government plays no formal role in such disputes, the department has been deeply concerned about the impact of the marking and assessment boycott on students. It is unacceptable that students, many of whom have already suffered significant disruption to their studies over recent years, face further disruption and uncertainty. This disruption is particularly damaging to those students who have graduated and looking to enter the jobs market or progress to further study. The department has made clear that whatever the rights and wrongs of the current dispute, action that damages students' prospects is the wrong thing to do.The majority of students have been unaffected by the industrial action and, in most cases, have received their full results on time, and progressed or graduated as normal. However, the department appreciates that, at some higher education (HE) providers, the impact of the boycott has been more significant.This government believes students should be at the heart of the HE system. This is why the Office for Students (OfS) has been set up to regulate the HE sector in England, protect student rights and ensure the sector is delivering real value for money. The OfS have also published guidance to students on their rights during industrial action and will continue to monitor this ongoing situation through their normal regulatory mechanisms. Further information can be found here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/.I held discussions with the Russell Group, Universities UK and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) to better understand the impact on students and the mitigating actions their members have taken to minimise disruption. I also wrote to the Russell Group and Universities UK, encouraging them to continue to do everything within their powers to protect the interests of students during this phase of industrial action. On 11 August, I wrote to the UCEA and the UCU urging them both to resume negotiations to bring an end to industrial action.Universities have worked to reduce the impact on students in a variety of ways, including reallocating marking to other staff members and hiring external markers. Moreover, many universities have awarded degrees when they have enough evidence of a student’s prior attainment to do so. Others have assigned provisional grades to students to allow them to progress, and, once all papers have been marked, most institutions will award degree classifications that either remain as provisionally assigned or are uplifted to reflect the student’s achievements.Students who have complaints about their HE experience should contact their institution in the first instance. Students in England and Wales may also raise a complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which was set up to provide an alternative to the courts and is free of charge to students. Depending on the complaint, the OIA may recommend that compensation be awarded. Whilst compensating students for disruption is the responsibility of HE institutions, the OIA expects institutions to comply with their recommendations. Further information on the OIA is available at: https://www.oiahe.org.uk.

Basic Skills: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve children's oracy skills in Enfield North constituency.

Nick Gibb: The Department recognises the importance of oracy, which is why spoken language is already part of the National Curriculum for English for 5 to 16 year olds. In the early years, the Department are providing up to £17 million of funding in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), improving the language skills of reception age pupils who need it most following the pandemic. In addition, the Department has secured over £28 million to support the speech and language of young children worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, delivered to 3 and 4 year olds through the new family hubs network.In secondary schools, the GCSE English Language qualification ensures that students are able to listen to and understand spoken language and use spoken standard English effectively. Provisional 2023 data published by Ofqual shows that overall entries to GCSE English Language increased by 4.9% between summer 2022 and summer 2023. This data can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series/provisional-entries-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-summer-2023-exam-series#gcse-entries.The Department funds the national poetry recitation competition. This encourages both primary and secondary schools to participate to improve pupils’ knowledge and enjoyment of poetry, and to improve oracy through poetry recitation and recall. The competition provides an opportunity for pupils to enjoy sharing poems aloud.The £67 million English hubs programme, launched in 2018, is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Since its launch, the programme has provided appropriate and targeted support to several thousands of schools across England.​Enfield North’s local English hub, New Wave, is working to engage and support primary schools across the region to improve the teaching of phonics, including offering showcase events especially for local schools. 10 schools in Enfield have received intensive support from the New Wave English hub, excluding new partner schools who have joined the programme this year. A further five schools received resource funding from the hub in the 2022/23 academic year.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) academic research and (b) evidence from (i) young people, (ii) teachers and (iii) schools her Department has sought to inform the (A) expert advisory group and (B) review on relationships, sex and health education; and whether she plans to publish that evidence.

Nick Gibb: In carrying out its review of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, the Department has sought evidence from a range of stakeholders, including groups representing pupils, teachers and schools, to share evidence about areas of the guidance they think should be strengthened.The conclusions of the independent expert panel will be reflected in the revised draft of the guidance that will be subject to a full public consultation. The accompanying consultation document will set out the background to the panel’s recommendations to help inform responses.

Universities: Admissions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the higher education sector on the availability of university places for domestic students.

Robert Halfon: The UK higher education (HE) system is amongst the best in the world. Attracting the brightest students internationally is good for our universities and delivers growth at home.Domestic students continue to make up the vast majority of overall undergraduate students within UK universities. The proportion of international acceptances on results day this year was 12.3%, having been 14.7% at the same point in 2019.This year on A level and T level Results Day, 186,710 English-domiciled 18-year-olds were accepted to HE providers in England compared to 162,680 in 2019.Ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access a world class education remains a top priority and is fundamental to the department’s ambition to level-up skills, growth, and economic opportunity across the country.As autonomous bodies independent from the government, universities are responsible for their own recruitment decisions. Most universities have separate home and international student recruitment targets, set before the admissions cycle even begins. Universities plan their student numbers very carefully, not least because there are important implications for the provision of student support and wellbeing services, accommodation, and everything else needed to deliver the best student experience.The department and I regularly engage with the HE sector to support policy making and delivery and did so throughout the 2023 cycle.Most recently, on 7 September 2023, I attended the Universities UK annual conference and discussed how the government is supporting universities to maximise their immense economic and social impact. Key topics discussed included degree apprenticeships, the Lifelong Loan Entitlement and Horizon.

Schools: Buildings

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to publish a list of schools that are at risk of collapse due to (a) disrepair and (b) unsafe building materials.

Nick Gibb: Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out.The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, updated on Tuesday 19 September.

Cabinet Office

Public Buildings: Concrete

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office,with reference to page 25 of the Department for Education's consolidated annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023 published 18 July 2023, how many occasions did the Civil Service Board meet to discuss the risks arising from the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across the public estate in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Alex Burghart: The Civil Service Board comprises senior civil servants from a range of Departments. It had deep dive discussion on property issues in which the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was raised on one occasion in 2022 and a further occasion in 2023.

Cabinet Office: National Security

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

Alex Burghart: The Government identifies and assesses risks to the nation through the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external National Risk Register, the most recent version of which was published in August. As set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework, each risk in the National Security Risk Assessment is owned and managed within Lead Government Departments. Where those risks, including national security risks, relate to the work of the Cabinet Office, they are managed through the department's risk management processes. This includes oversight from a Chief Risk Officer.

Question

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee has been allotted a budget for the future memorial of Queen Elizabeth II.

Alex Burghart: It is right that as a country we honour Her Late Majesty’s legacy. For more than 70 years, she was our greatest public servant, an anchor of stability in an ever-changing and often uncertain world. The Government welcomes the work of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee and will consider funding options as proposals develop.

Government Departments: Procurement

Martyn Day: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all Government contracts include a requirement to pay staff (a) the Living Wage Foundation’s real Living Wage and (b) occupational sick pay.

Jeremy Quin: This government is committed to paying properly, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. This is based on the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. In April 2023, the National Living Wage increased to £10.42 per hour, an increase of 9.7%. By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.Departments are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of employment for their civil servants, in accordance with the rules of the Civil Service Management Code. This includes matters related to sickness absence.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Waste: Crime

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to help tackle waste crime in Enfield North constituency.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is committed to tackling waste crime, which is a blight on our local communities and the environment and damages legitimate businesses. We have strengthened regulators' powers, are tightening the law and have increased the Environment Agency's budget by £10 million per year to make it harder for rogue operators to find work in the sector and easier for regulators to take action against criminals. The Prime Minister’s Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan set out how we will support councils across the country to take tougher action against those who fly-tip such as by raising the upper limit on fixed penalty notices to £1,000, which we did earlier this year. As part of the plan, we have also published league tables showing which councils are issuing the most and least fixed penalties in relation to fly-tipping. The Environment Agency continues to work in partnership with the local authority in tackling waste crime, including investigating two large fly-tips in North Enfield.

Water: Pollution Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish data on the number of nutrient mitigation credit schemes in the pipeline for Natural England approval in each of the last 12 months; how many pipeline schemes were paused (a) in each of those months and (b) since the Government's announcement of changes to the rules on nutrient neutrality and home building; and if she will make a statement.

Trudy Harrison: Competent Authorities such as Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are responsible for conducting a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) for new plans or projects where one is required. Natural England provides statutory advice on HRAs but does not register or accredit all nutrient credits sold by LPAs or private providers where nutrient neutrality is a condition of planning consent. Natural England’s own Nutrient Mitigation Scheme has enabled more than 3,500 homes since its first credits were made available for sale in the Tees and Cleveland Coast catchment in March 2023.

School Milk: Christchurch

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which schools in Christchurch constituency are registered for the school milk subsidy scheme.

Mark Spencer: The School Milk scheme offers a financial contribution to the cost of providing certain milk products to schoolchildren across the UK. The majority of applications to the scheme are made by local authorities, specialist companies and bodies who register and claim on their behalf of individual schools. No central information on participating schools is therefore held centrally to provide a breakdown to the level of individual parliamentary constituencies.

Exhaust Emissions: Environment Protection

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish (a) correspondence and (b) advice sent by her Department to local authorities on the effectiveness of retrofitting technology funded by the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme.

Trudy Harrison: There are no plans to publish the correspondence sent to Local Authorities at present. Government has communicated to Local Authorities that we have paused new Government funding for Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) bus retrofit technology, following research by Scottish Government and internal monitoring which suggested it might not always be as effective as expected. We are conducting a programme of work to investigate the performance or bus retrofits and we are still on track to complete our investigations this Autumn.

Air Pollution: Urban Areas

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase air quality in urban areas.

Trudy Harrison: The Environmental Improvement Plan sets out the actions that Defra will take to support us to continue improving air quality, including in urban areas.

Coastal Areas: Climate Change

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to track the (a) cost of insurance and (b) availability of financial lending in coastal communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Rebecca Pow: Defra has published research into the availability and affordability of insurance in 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2023. Alongside this, Flood Re monitor the availability and cost of home insurance for flood affected households, including those in coastal areas. As part of the £200m Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme (FCIP), Ministers have allocated £36m over 6 years, to develop a ‘Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme’ (CTAP) to trial opportunities, in a small number of coastal areas at significant risk of coastal erosion, to transition and adapt to a changing climate/coastline. East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk were identified as the areas to lead off the programme. Within their projects programme, they will be exploring the availability and role of financial products or services that can help people or businesses in communities most at risk of coastal erosion. Other coastal communities and risk management authorities will benefit from the learning that will be shared from this programme to inform future climate resilience and adaptation.

Fly-tipping: Recreation Spaces

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on how to (a) prevent and (b) dispose of fly-tipping in public (i) parks and (ii) green spaces.

Rebecca Pow: Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which we work with a wide range of interested parties, including local authorities, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. Together we have produced various guides on tackling fly-tipping and the roles and responsibilities of local authorities and others. More recently, we have been developing a fly-tipping toolkit with the NFTPG. So far, the group has published a guide on how councils and others can present robust cases to court and a new framework which sets out how they can set up and run effective local partnerships to prevent fly-tipping. These, and other materials, are available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group. In addition to this, Defra has provided £1.2 million in grant funding to help more than 30 councils implement projects aimed at tackling fly-tipping. Case studies from round one have been made available at the link above so other councils can learn about those interventions which were most successful. We intend to launch another grant opportunity for councils later this year.

Flood Control

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has plans to establish a national centre for flood resilience.

Rebecca Pow: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 September 2023 to PQ 195088.

Water: Sewage

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the water industry on reducing the discharge of sewage into (a) rivers, (b) seas and (c) lakes.

Rebecca Pow: Defra ministers meet with representatives of the water industry regularly to discuss a range of environmental delivery priorities for water companies. This includes six monthly meetings with underperforming companies and quarterly meetings with the CEO of Water UK – the trade association representing the water industry in the UK. Alongside this, ministers also have quarterly meetings with the chair and CEO of Ofwat to discuss performance of the sector and Ofwat enforcement, including on the reduction of sewage discharges.

Swimming

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to introduce real-time water quality monitoring stations in designated bathing water locations.

Rebecca Pow: During the bathing water season (May to September) the Environment Agency regularly monitors the bathing water quality at every designated site, resulting in the annual classifications. Alongside this the Environment Agency also issues daily pollution risk forecasts and warnings throughout the bathing water season, advising when there is likely to be reduced water quality. Defra will continue to reflect on changes in how and where people use bathing waters, including new evidence and technologies where these exist, to feed into future bathing water policy development. Under the Environment Act 2021, the Government will require sewerage undertakers wholly or mainly in England to report on discharges from storm overflows in near-real time by spring 2025. Furthermore, in April, we also launched our consultation on Continuous Water Quality Monitoring and Event Duration Monitoring. This outlines the Government’s proposals to enhance the monitoring of storm overflow and final effluent discharges. The Government’s response to this consultation was issued on 14 September 2023. Water companies are now taking forward plans to implement this programme from 2025.

Swimming

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of designated bathing water locations classified as excellent in England.

Rebecca Pow: The number of bathing waters in England meeting the ‘excellent’ (highest) standard in 2022 was 72.1%, which is the highest since new more stringent standards were introduced in 2015. This is an increase of nearly 21 percentage points compared to 2010, when only 51.3% of bathing waters met the highest standard then in force. The Environment Agency works closely with local stakeholders at all designated bathing waters to drive water quality improvements.

Deposit Return Schemes

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2023 to Question 198331 on Deposit Return Schemes, for what reason the implementation of the regulations has been delayed since the publication of the consultation response; when she plans to appoint the deposit management organisation (DMO); and what recent estimate she has made of when the DMO will commence.

Rebecca Pow: In May 2023, UK Government published a position statement setting out that interoperability of schemes across the UK is critical to avoiding unnecessary barriers to trade. Since then we have been working with Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland on interoperability across the UK. We are considering what changes are required to the draft legislation in each nation in order to implement interoperability of schemes across the UK. This will need to be completed before we can finalise the drafting and proceed through the legislative process. As this requires additional time to complete, it impacts our original SI timeline. The next phase of DRS implementation will be finalising the legislation. We intend for this to come into force in summer 2024, and thereafter we will have the powers to appoint the scheme administrator (the Deposit Management Organisation, DMO).

Fly-tipping

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle fly tipping.

Rebecca Pow: The PM’s Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan sets out how we will help councils take tougher action against those who fly-tip. We significantly raised the upper limit of on-the-spot fines in July, to £1,000 for fly-tipping and £600 for householders who give their waste to an unauthorised waste carrier. We have also increased transparency on the use of these fines by publishing league tables on fly-tipping enforcement and consulted stakeholders on ringfencing the money raised from fines for enforcement and clean up activity. This builds on the £1.2m Defra has provided in grant funding to help more than 30 councils implement projects cracking down on fly-tipping. We intend to launch another grant opportunity for councils later this year. With the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, we are developing a toolkit to help councils and others tackle fly-tipping. So far, the group has published a guide on how to present robust cases to court and a new framework which sets out how to set up and run effective local partnerships. The toolkit, and other resources, are available online at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Plans

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what policy guidance his Department uses to determine a request for variation by a local authority to deviate from its adopted local plan; and if he will make a statement.

Rachel Maclean: Planning law and national planning policy is clear that the starting point for decisions is the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.Through our reforms in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, we plan to strengthen the role of the development plan.The local planning authority may depart from development plan policy where material considerations indicate that the plan should not be followed, subject to any conditions prescribed by direction by the Secretary of State. This power to depart from development plan policy is confirmed in article 32 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015.In cases where the local planning authority intends to depart from development plan policy, article 15(3) of the Development Management Procedure Order sets out the publicity requirements which must be followed before the decision is taken.

Local Authority Financial Reporting and External Audit Review

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Redmond Review into the effectiveness of local audits.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of local authorities (a) failed to meet the deadline of 30 September 2022 and (b) were still due to provide audited accounts for financial year 2021-22 as of 1 September 2023.

Lee Rowley: The challenges facing local audit are complex and require action from organisations across the system. We have worked with key partners to implement the majority of Redmond's recommendations.We are continuing to deliver reform in this area, including developing the proposals set out in the cross-system statement on local audit delays published in July, and are working with the FRC as it prepares to take on its new role as system leader for local audit.Local authorities' websites show whether statement of accounts have been audited.More generally, as you know, the Government is establishing the Office for Local Government (Oflog) so as to improve the accountability for performance across the local government sector, including overspending. Lord Amyas Morse, former Comptroller & Auditor General of the NAO, has been announced as Oflog’s interim Chair.

Homelessness: Young People

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to improve routes into sustainable employment for young people experiencing homelessness.

Felicity Buchan: This Government is clear that employment improves the accommodation prospects for young people experiencing homelessness.In the 'Ending Rough Sleeping Strategy' published last year, we committed to improving the employment support available through enhancing the employment and training schemes funded through DLUHC programmes such as the Rough Sleeping Initiative and refreshing the jobcentre offer through best practice and networks of homelessness leads.We are also working with businesses to help people experiencing homelessness in the workplace, last week we launched the Homelessness Covenant for Employers with DWP and Crisis to support businesses to provide jobs and training opportunities for people experiencing homelessness or those at risk of it, and to adopt fairer employment and recruitment policies and practices. I encourage businesses to sign up to this.

Renters (Reform) Bill

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on what date he plans to bring forward the Renters (Reform) Bill.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 198928 on 18 September 2023.

Local Government Finance: Greater London

Mr Louie French: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding the Greater London Authority received from the public purse in each of the last five financial years.

Lee Rowley: A breakdown of government grants and other sources of income for each of the seven constituent bodies of the Greater London Authority (GLA) Group can be found in the Mayor of London's annual budgets. Copies can be found here.

Community Ownership Fund

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the success of schemes supported by the UK Community Ownership Fund.

Jacob Young: There are regular monitoring points throughout projects’ lifetime.To assess whether the Community Ownership Fund is delivering its four strategic objectives, we will undertake high-quality, robust evaluations.

Question

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of who was responsible for the cyberattack on Electoral Commission systems in October 2022; and how many people were affected.

Jacob Young: It is, and always will be, an absolute priority for this government to protect our democratic and electoral processes. Since the Electoral Commission reported the incident to the National Cyber Security Centre the government has worked closely with the Commission, providing expertise and support to deal with this incident and guard against the risk of future attacks.The Government does not routinely comment on incident specifics for operational reasons.The Commission has stated that the information accessible during the cyber attack included the names and addresses of anyone in Great Britain who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, and anyone registered in Northern Ireland in 2018. The registers did not include the details of those registered anonymously.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: National Security

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

Jacob Young: The Government identifies and assesses risks to the nation through the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment, and the external National Risk Register, the most recent version of which was published in August. As set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework, each risk in the National Security Risk Assessment is owned and managed within Lead Government Departments. Where those risks, including national security risks, relate to the work of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities then they are managed through the department's risk management processes.

Homelessness: Young People

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report by Centrepoint Human costs and lost potential: the real costs of youth homelessness.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a national youth homelessness strategy.

Felicity Buchan: This Government is committed to tackling all forms of homelessness including youth homelessness.The Government's 'Ending Rough Sleeping for Good' Strategy, published last year and backed by £2 billion over three years, recognises young people face particular challenges. The strategy confirmed a £200 million investment in the Single Homelessness Accommodation Programme (SHAP) which will deliver homes for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, including young people. In addition, £2.4 million of Rough Sleeping Initiative funding for 2022-2025 supports youth services in local areas.The department will continue to work with local authorities and partners in the voluntary and community sector and private sector to tackle youth homelessness.

Sleeping Rough

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to prevent rough sleeping (a) through the use of social housing and (b) by reforming the private rental sector.

Felicity Buchan: In September 2022, we published our new cross-government strategy 'Ending Rough Sleeping for Good', setting out how we are investing £2 billion over three years to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, and our prevention first approach.The Government has committed to continue working towards its ambition of delivering 300,000 homes per year to help create a more sustainable and affordable housing market. Our £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. And the Local Authority Housing Fund will help ensure a new supply of social housing for communities across the country, especially those who have been most generous in welcoming arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine.The Renters (Reform) Bill was introduced into Parliament on 17 May. The Bill will deliver a fairer, more secure, and higher quality private rented sector that is fit for the 21st century. The date for Second Reading of the Bill is subject to parliamentary scheduling and will be announced in due course.

Homelessness: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had discussion with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on taking steps to help ensure that people who experience street homelessness have priority access to physical and mental health services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on deployment of substance misuse, harm reduction services to people who are street homeless.

Felicity Buchan: In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Homelessness

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he made of the effectiveness of his Department's policies on reducing homelessness.

Felicity Buchan: This Government is committed to reducing homelessness - between 2022 and 2025 we are investing in excess of £1 billion into the Homelessness Prevention Grant. Over 600,000 households have been prevented from becoming homeless or supported into settled accommodation since the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious reform to homelessness legislation in decades.

Local Government: Audit

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the correspondence by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government and Building Safety to local authority Chief Executives on local audits in England, dated 18 July 2023, whether he intends to produce guidance for councils on reducing the backlog of local authority audits.

Lee Rowley: The Government is continuing to engage across the local audit sector, including local authorities. Further details which will be issued in due course.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Research: Investment

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) identify and (b) promote investment opportunities in UK strategic priority areas for (i) research and (ii) development.

George Freeman: The Science and Technology Framework sets out a vision for our research and development (R&D) investment to match the scale of our ambition, and to catalyse the private sector to do the same. We are working closely with the Department for Business and Trade to identify and promote UK innovation strengths and investment opportunities globally, including through the GREAT campaign. The interactive digital tool we will publish in the autumn, mapping the UK’s innovation clusters, will be a crucial next step in helping us showcase UK strengths to attract private investment.

Research: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to increase the levels of private research and development investment in Northern Ireland.

George Freeman: We are committed to building on record public investment in research and development to increase private investment across the country, including in Northern Ireland. For example, since we published the Innovation Strategy, Innovate UK has introduced an online Innovation Hub and expanded its EDGE support scheme to help innovative businesses across the UK grow. Northern Ireland received £47.5 million UKRI funding in 2020-21. We also support the Digital Catapult in Belfast to help innovative businesses grow, and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships funded by Innovate UK and Invest NI are helping local universities and businesses to upskill and enhance their investment potential.

Research: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to deploy funding for public research and development in Northern Ireland.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to working closely with the Devolved Administrations to realise the ambitions of the Science and Technology Framework and to ensure it works for the whole of the UK. Businesses and universities across the UK are eligible to apply for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding. As of June 2023, over 190 UKRI funded projects with a combined value of over £143 million were led by award holders in Northern Ireland. Additionally, core funding for university research, is a devolved matter and Northern Ireland universities receive core research funding from the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy.

Public Telephones

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2023 to Question 196183 on Public Telephones, what recent discussions she has had with (a) BT and (b) Ofcom on repairs to dilapidated public telephone boxes which have been retained for use.

Sir John Whittingdale: Ofcom, the UK’s telecommunications regulator, is responsible for the regulation of Public Call Boxes (PCBs). Under the Universal Service Conditions by Ofcom, KCOM and BT are required to ensure the adequate provision, repair and maintenance of Public Call Boxes (‘PCBs’). Ofcom has published this guidance on their website. DSIT does not engage with Ofcom nor BT on issues related to PCBs because it does not fall within the Department’s remit.

Home Office

Dangerous Dogs

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential merits of banning American Bully XL dogs.

Chris Philp: The government is taking urgent action to bring forward a ban on XL Bully dog types under the Dangerous Dogs Act following a concerning rise in attacks and fatalities, which appear to be driven by this type of dog.We intend to have the legislation in place to deliver this by the end of the year.

Police: Complaints

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) longest length of investigations undertaken by the Independent Office of Police Conduct was in the last 5 years.

Chris Philp: This information is held by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).The Director General of the IOPC will write to Harriet Baldwin MP in due course once the information is available, and the Home Office will see that a copy of the letter is placed in the House library.

Sexual Offences: Extortion

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent criminal organisations committing sextortion offences.

Miss Sarah Dines: “Sextortion”, or blackmail involving the use of indecent or intimate images, is a horrific crime which the government is determined to tackle.The Home Office is providing £150k in 2022/23 to the Revenge Porn Hotline to support victims of non-consensual intimate image sharing, colloquially known as “revenge porn”, which includes victims of “sextortion”.The Government remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse online, including cases involving “sextortion”. Our approach is underpinned by the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy which sets out firm commitments to drive action across the whole system. The Home Office invests in a number of capabilities to support law enforcement to tackle child sexual abuse.The Home Office funds the National Crime Agency to use its unique capabilities to disrupt the highest harm child sexual abuse offenders and safeguard children. Since 2017, the Home Office has invested in a network of Undercover Online Officers in Regional Organised Crime Units to disrupt high harm offenders, including those seeking to groom or otherwise manipulate children into sharing sexual images.We remain committed to continuing close collaboration with international partners to share best practice and insights and build international capacity to tackle all forms of child exploitation and abuse, including “sextortion”.

Cocaine

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Sheet 3 of the UK Border Force’s quarterly transparency data, updated on 24 August 2023, how many of the cocaine seizures in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022 were consignments intercepted while attempting to enter the UK via the Channel ports.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Sheet 3 of the UK Border Force’s quarterly transparency data, updated on 24 August 2023, how many of the heroin seizures in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022 were consignments intercepted while attempting to enter the UK via the Channel ports.

Robert Jenrick: Border Force does not hold the data in an easily accessible format on how many of the cocaine seizures in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022 were consignments intercepted while attempting to enter the UK via the Channel ports.The links for the main seizures publication can be found at Gov.UK: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Undocumented Migrants: Private Rented Housing

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many landlords were fined for allowing unauthorised migrants to rent their properties in 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested can be found in tab CP03 of Immigration Enforcement data: Q2 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Please note the figures shown in the data are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage, which may be cancelled at the objection or appeal stage.

Asylum: Applications

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for asylum submitted before 28 June 2022 are awaiting processing.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on applications awaiting an initial decision that were raised before 28 June 2022 can be found in table Asy_10a of the ‘asylum and resettlement summary tables’. The latest data relate to 30 June 2023. Data for 30 September 2023 will be published on 23 November 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Ecstasy

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Sheet 3 of the UK Border Force’s quarterly transparency data, updated on 24 August, how many of the MDMA seizures in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022 were consignments intercepted while attempting to enter the UK via the Channel ports.

Robert Jenrick: Border Force does not hold the data in an easily accessible format on how many of the MDMA seizures in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021 and (e) 2022 were consignments intercepted while attempting to enter the UK via the Channel ports. The links for the main seizures publication can be found at Gov.UK: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Asylum: Housing

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that basic standards of safety are met in accommodation provided to refugees and asylum seekers.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the (a) number of people waiting in the asylum system and (b) levels of profit generated by private providers contracted to run asylum accommodation.

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of contracting private providers to supply asylum accommodation on (a) standards and (b) value for money of that accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: The safety and wellbeing of asylum seekers in our care is of paramount importance to the Home Office. We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Details of the AASC can be found at:New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-asylum-accommodation-contracts-awardedThe Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on people awaiting an initial decision can be found in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The Home Office also publishes data on the total number of outstanding cases in the asylum system (‘asylum work in progress’) in table ASY_03 the ‘Immigration and Protection’ part of the Migration Transparency Data collection. The latest data relates to the end of June 2023.Accommodation costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. Total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts(opens in a new tab).It would be inappropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers. All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure the best value for tax payers and the Home Office closely monitors its contractors performance, including financial results. Any profits above the agreed contractual margins comes back to the Home Office.

Home Office: Buildings

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the office of the Minister for Immigration was last refurbished.

Robert Jenrick: There has been no refurbishment.

Visas: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2023 to Question 195848 on Visas: Afghanistan, what approach she is taking to reviewing processes to streamline decision making for family reunion visa applications; whether she plans to consult MPs; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: The Government’s refugee family reunion policy provides a safe and legal route to bring families together.We are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications to reduce the time separated families wait for a decision. This includes determining cases more swiftly where they are straightforward and meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. We are also increasing decision making and other resource to support family reunion case processing. This is in addition to looking more broadly at how the end-to-end decision-making process can be simplified and streamlined.Since 2015, 46,511 family reunion visas have been granted to family members of refugees as of the end of June 2023.

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Impact Assessments

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2023 to Question 197102 on Electronic Travel Authorisations: Impact Assessments, if he will make an Impact Assessment of Electronic Travel Authorisation that differentiates between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Robert Jenrick: The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA): Impact Assessment (IA) considers the impact to the UK as a whole. The IA does not differentiate between countries or regions as it is the intention that the ETA scheme applies to the UK as a whole.The Government remains committed to working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure the ETA requirement is communicated effectively to help mitigate against any risk of it being seen as an increased barrier to cross-border tourism on the island of Ireland.

Iran: Espionage

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that Iran is held accountable for its reported deployment of foreign agents to the UK.

Tom Tugendhat: I would urge the Hon. Lady to ask the FDCO.

Police: Finance

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase funding for the police.

Chris Philp: On 31 January, the Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £17.2 billion in 2023/24, an increase of up to £313.8 million when compared to 2022/23.Since then, the Home Office have announced a further £330 million of in year funding to support forces in managing the costs associated to the 2023/24 pay award. This is in addition to grant increases announced previously at the 2023/24 settlement.This investment in the policing system continues to support policing, delivering resources to the front line and delivering the high-end capabilities needed in modern policing.

Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle (a) verbal and (b) physical abuse of shopkeepers and retail staff.

Chris Philp: Violent and abusive behaviour towards any worker, particularly those who provide a valuable service to the public, is never acceptable and the Government takes this issue very seriously.We have introduced a statutory aggravating factor for assault against those who are serving the public, via the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This sends a very clear signal about the unacceptability of assaults against public-facing workers.I recently met colleagues from the retail sector and the police to discuss retail crime; and how we can take action together to tackle this important issue. Police forces across England and Wales have committed to pursuing any available evidence where there is a reasonable chance it could lead them to catching a perpetrator and solving a crime – and this includes verbal and physical abuse towards retail workers.

Forensic Science: Impact Assessment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has produced an impact assessment on the use of streamlined forensic reports.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds data on the total number of streamlined forensic reports produced since they were introduced.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has not conducted any such impact assessment and does not hold this data.The Home Office funded Forensic Capability Network (FCN) manages and oversees the Streamlined Forensic Reporting (SFR) process on behalf of policing and the criminal justice system. The FCN last published guidance on SFR in January 2023, which can be read here:https://www.fcn.police.uk/news/2023-01/streamlined-forensic-reporting-sfr-update-winter-2023

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on reducing anti-social behaviour.

Chris Philp: On 27 March, the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan) ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the powers and tools they need to tackle the blight of anti-social behaviour facing communities across England and Wales.The plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we are working with 10 police force areas, but from 2024 we will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales. We are also providing up to £50m to support the provision of Immediate Justice, by issuing out of court disposals with conditions to swiftly repair any damage – the aim being for them to start within 48 hours of referral. This will start in 10 initial trailblazer police force areas and be rolled out across England and Wales from 2024.On 6 July, we launched the fifth round of the Safer Streets Fund. Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales will receive a total of £43 million on top of the £120 million already awarded for the previous four rounds of the Safer Streets Fund to continue to deliver crime and anti-social behaviour prevention measures.

Bicycles: Theft

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds data on the proportion of bicycles that have been stolen and returned to their owner (a) nationally and (b) in York.

Chris Philp: The Office for National Statistics have published estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales that show that the volume of Neighbourhood Crime has fallen by 51% since 2010. The CSEW also shows that the proportion of bicycle owners experiencing theft has also halved over the same period from 3.9% to 1.8%.Information on whether or not the stolen bicycle was returned to the owner is not available and the sample size of the CSEW is not large enough to yield estimates for York.

Police

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to help ensure that police forces investigate every reported crime.

Chris Philp: On 28 August, the Home Secretary announced that, following discussions with Ministers, police forces across England and Wales have committed to pursuing all leads where there is a reasonable chance it could result in catching a perpetrator and solving a crime.This commitment applies to all crime types, with new guidance from the College of Policing providing clear direction on applying a consistent standard of service to have the greatest chance of securing a positive outcome for a victim.It also builds on wider work the government has delivered with policing to cut crime and build stronger communities, including recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers.

Fire and Rescue Services: Reform

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her Department's response to the consultation on the white paper on Reforming Our Fire and Rescue Service, CP 670, which was published in May 2022.

Chris Philp: The Government remains committed to reform in the fire sector and will continue to push for meaningful change for the benefit of both the sector and the public. The response to the white paper will be published shortly.

Personation

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure individuals fraudulently impersonating positions of authority do not undermine trust in (a) the police, (b) financial regulators, (c) ombudsmans and (d) other state institutions.

Chris Philp: The British public need to be able to trust the institutions that serve them. That is why a central part of the Home Office’s fraud response is blocking the communications individuals use to impersonate organisations and institutional bodies.In 2019, in collaboration with the banking and telecoms sectors, Ofcom created the ‘Do Not Originate’(DNO) list. It contains over 12,000 phone numbers which are blocked so they cannot be used by fraudsters. This list has successfully protected the public from fraudulent calls and is regularly updated in partnership with the telecommunications sector. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre also operates the NCSC Takedown Service, which works with host providers to remove email addresses and websites impersonating UK Government brands and services.The forthcoming Online Safety Bill will also give regulators the powers they need to force social media companies to do more to block fraud on their platforms, including fraudulent advertising. These measures will disrupt criminals’ efforts to exploit these platforms to defraud the British public.

Roads: Cameras

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to roll out artificial intelligence cameras to help detect motorists who use their mobile phone whilst driving.

Chris Philp: Law enforcement, including road traffic enforcement, is an operational matter for local chief officers of Police. It is for them to decide how best to set about this, including what services or equipment they might purchase and use.

Police Custody

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that police forces provide people being held in their care with access to (a) medication (b) food and (c) fluid; and whether she is taking steps to require police forces to record data on access to these items.

Chris Philp: The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code C sets out requirements for police custody, including in respect of detainee healthcare, food and drink. The College of Policing also publishes Authorised Professional Practice guidance on detainee care.The custody officer must make sure detainees receive appropriate clinical attention as soon as reasonably practicable if the person appears to be suffering from physical illness, is injured, appears to be suffering from a mental disorder or appears to need clinical attention.The custody officer must consult the appropriate healthcare professional before a detainee takes or applies any medication that was prescribed prior to their detention. They should note this in the custody record. The custody officer is responsible for the safekeeping of the medication and ensuring that the detainee is given the opportunity to use or apply it as prescribed.At least two light meals and one main meal should be offered in any 24-hour period. Drinks should be provided at mealtimes and upon reasonable request between meals. Whenever necessary, advice shall be sought from the appropriate healthcare professional on medical and dietary matters. As far as practicable, meals provided shall offer a varied diet and meet any specific dietary needs or religious beliefs the detainee may have. The detainee may, at the custody officer’s discretion, have meals supplied by their family or friends at their expense.His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) inspects police custody facilities to ensure standards are maintained. HMICFRS sets out clear expectations that healthcare information is recorded on custody records, including any medication provided or required, and that detainees are offered and provided with sufficient food and drink to ensure their welfare and to meet their dietary, cultural and religious needs. Where forces fall short, HMICFRS may raise causes for concern and make recommendations in custody inspection reports.In addition, locally appointed independent custody visitors make unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on standards of service provision.

Independent Office for Police Conduct: Standards

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what service level agreement her Department has in place with the Independent Office of Police Conduct on the length of time needed to complete an investigation.

Chris Philp: The Home Office and the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) agree performance metrics relating to the length of time taken to complete investigations. These are published in the IOPC’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA).The most recent ARA can be found on the IOPC’s website: https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-202122

Biometrics: Retail Trade

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with suppliers of facial recognition technology and equipment on the use of live facial recognition surveillance in the retail sector.

Chris Philp: Any form of retail crime is completely unacceptable, and I am determined to drive down crimes in the retail sector.As I told the House on 19 July during the adjournment debate on retail crime, I encourage the innovative use of new technology including facial recognition, where legal and appropriate. It is for individual retailers to decide what tools to use to prevent retail crime.I have met with companies which provide live facial recognition systems, to understand the service they provide and the impact it can have on preventing crime in retail settings.Retailers hold a lot of information, intelligence and evidence that can assist the police; they should share information such as CCTV recordings to help police crack down on repeat offenders and criminal gangs across the country.

Police Custody: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has held with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on providing expedient access to a clinician for people held by police who have underlying physical or mental health issues.

Chris Philp: Police custody officers should carry out an assessment of the risk and vulnerability of everyone in custody, on an individual basis. This assessment should take into account the person’s behaviour, any signs of illness or injury, their communication, including information from all available sources and the circumstances and environment in which they were found.In accordance with Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Code C paragraph 9.5, the custody officer must make sure that a detainee receives appropriate clinical attention as soon as reasonably practicable if the person: appears to be suffering from physical illness, is injured, appears to be suffering from a mental disorder or appears to need clinical attention.Liaison and Diversion schemes (commissioned by NHS England) have been introduced into police custody in England, to seek to ensure that vulnerable people are identified and offered access to the help they may need. These schemes see mental health workers based within police custody suites that offer identification, assessment and referral function for people with mental health issues, ASD, learning disabilities or substance misuse problems. A key component of these schemes is to provide referrals to community treatment and support services and to provide advice to police custody staff on how best to support people with these vulnerabilities.The Government and the NHS are committed to ensuring that those in need of mental health support or experiencing a mental health crisis receive timely care from an appropriately trained professional who can provide them with the right support. The Home Office, Department of Health & Social Care, National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, and NHS England worked closely, together with other key partners to develop the National Partnership Agreement for the Right Care Right Person approach to ensure that the most appropriate agency attends, to provide the best possible service for those in need. Home Office and DHSC Ministers have and continue to work closely on the implementation of the National Partnership Agreement.

Crime: Rural Areas

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) financial and (b) other steps her Department is taking to help prevent rural crime in Enfield North constituency.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to driving down rural crime. Whether someone lives in the countryside, a town, or a city, they should have the same peace of mind when going about their daily lives, and they should get the same high-quality service from the police if they fall victim to a crime.While it is for Chief Constables to decide how to allocate their resources, funding available for the Metropolitan Police will be up to £3,343.9m in 2023/24, an increase of up to £102.3m when compared to 2022/23. Overall police funding available to PCCs will increase by up to £550.2 million this year. As at 31 March 2023, there were 35,411 police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service, a total growth of 3,468 additional officers since the start of the Police Uplift Programme.In addition to the funding for forces, the Government has provided £287,037 for the National Wildlife Crime Unit and £200,000 for the new National Rural Crime Unit during this financial year. This will support all forces in their response to rural crimes such as theft of farming construction machinery, livestock theft and rural fly tipping. Funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit is in addition to funding provided on a long-term basis for the National Rural Crime Unit.The Government has also acted to address specific points of concern raised by stakeholders in relation to rural crime and it supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023. The Act aims to prevent the theft of all-terrain vehicles such as quad bikes, by requiring immobilisers and forensic markings to be fitted as standard to all new all-terrain vehicles.

Knives: Sentencing

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing the maximum penalty for carrying a knife to more than four years’ imprisonment on trends in the level of knife crime.

Chris Philp: The maximum penalty for being in possession of a knife in public is 4 years imprisonment. In year ending March 2023, the average custodial sentence lengths for knife possession and threatening offences are the highest they have been in the last 10 years, 7.5 months and 14.8 months respectively. Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council.However, in recognition of the seriousness of offences related to knives, the law provides for minimum custodial sentences for repeat knife possession and offences that involve threatening with a weapon. Measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act which came into force in 2022 strengthened existing legislation to make sure that the courts always impose at least the minimum term unless there are exceptional circumstances.Whilst the government is not currently considering increasing the maximum penalty of 4 years imprisonment, the government continues to strengthen knife legislation.On 30 August, the government published its response to the consultation on new legislative proposals to tackle knife crime. We will introduce a ban on certain types of large knives that seem to appeal to those who want to use these items as weapons, for instance zombie style knives or machetes. We will also give the police more powers to seize dangerous weapons, create a new offence of possession of a bladed weapon with an intent to harm, and increase sentences for those who import, manufacture or sell dangerous weapons to under 18s.The full government response can be found here: Government response to consultation on proposals to tackle the use of machetes and other bladed articles in crime. (publishing.service.gov.uk)The measures detailed in the government response will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows, and we will continue to keep our knife legislation under review.

Short-term Holding Facilities: Kent

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish (a) the Government Workplace Design Guide and (b) other documentation on the decoration of Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit short-term holding facilities.

Robert Jenrick: The Government Workplace Design Guide is published by the Government Property Agency as a publicly available document via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-government-workplace-design-guide

Short-term Holding Facilities: Kent

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 21 of the HM Inspectorate of Prisons Report on an unannounced inspection of Western Jet Foil, Manston and Kent Intake Unit short-term holding facilities, published on 6 June 2023, what steps her Department has taken in response to the finding that the range of toys for young children was too limited at Kent Intake Unit.

Robert Jenrick: The Kent Intake Unit (KIU) is fully-equipped and well run to meet the needs of unaccompanied minors, with increased capacity allowing more minors to be seen. We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to ensure all children are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with a local authority as soon as possible.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Transport

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to address shortfalls in military transport capabilities after the retirement of the C-130J Hercules fleet.

James Cartlidge: The acceleration of capability transition to Atlas has resulted in many of the operational capabilities delivered by the C-130J Hercules being transferred before the retirement of the Hercules fleet, most recently high altitude parachuting and the ability to operate from natural surfaces. Since the Hercules retired, additional niche capabilities have been released to service and crew training has begun; and trials are ongoing to further expand low level parachuting.

Ministry of Defence: Assets

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value was of asset disposals made by his Department in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish a list of (a) businesses and (b) projects which have received matched funding from the emerging drone technology pilot scheme including the total amount received since 1 January 2020.

James Cartlidge: The Department does not have a specific drone technology pilot scheme, the Ministry of Defence is developing a Defence Uncrewed Systems (UxS) Strategy which looks to bring together our ability to develop, produce, adapt and operate uncrewed systems across all domains.

Air Force: Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to address delays in the Forces flying training programme.

James Heappey: The Royal Air Force manages the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) on behalf of Defence and constantly reviews flying training pipeline performance. Measures are introduced as and when required in order to strike the best balance between pipeline supply and the frontline demand for new pilots. In addressing training delays, end-to-end training pipeline measures are considered, as well as working with allies and partners to examine whether UK pilots could be trained overseas and where we might pool our resources to mutual benefit.To this end, in the last 12-months improvements across the UKMFTS flying training pipelines have included: increasing UKMFTS trainee throughput by improving syllabi, training delivery and course sequencing; while also maximising use of pilots being trained on the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training programme in the USA, and a three year agreement with the International Flight Training School in Italy for provision of some training places.

Japan: Military Alliances

Mark Logan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his Japanese counterpart on the UK-Japan defence agreement agreed in January 2023.

James Heappey: Since the UK and Japanese Prime Ministers signed the Reciprocal Access Agreement in January 2023, we have discussed progress frequently with Japan, including at Ministerial level. The Defence Secretary looks forward to speaking with his new Japanese counterpart and discussing how to take forward engagement under the treaty.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the effectiveness of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

James Heappey: I said to the House in May that we aimed to process all outstanding initial ARAP applications by the end of August. We now have just over 1,800 complex cases remaining from more than 93,000 principal applications received. We have issued over 58,000 decisions to applicants in the past three months alone, giving them the clarity they deserve. We continue to move at best pace to process the remaining applications.We also continue to move eligible Afghans from Afghanistan to the safety of third countries at best pace and have relocated over an estimated 12,200 people to the United Kingdom.

Gibraltar: Spain

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has recorded the presence of a Spanish naval vessel in Gibraltarian territorial waters in each of the past six months.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence has recorded the presence of 11 Spanish naval vessels in Gibraltarian territorial waters in the last six months. This is broken down by month as follows: MonthInnocent PassageSurface IncursionTotalApr112May202Jun112Jul022Aug022Sep011

Libya: Floods

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assistance his Department is providing to Libya following recent flooding.

James Heappey: Following the devastating flooding in Libya the Ministry of Defence has deployed personnel forward to assist the British Embassy Tripoli and assess what further support we might provide. We are positioning ourselves to support the wider humanitarian activity.

Ministry of Defence: Iron and Steel

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps has his Department taken to help meet its UK steel charter obligations.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of procurement contracts has his Department applied the UK steel charter.

James Cartlidge: Although the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not a signatory to the UK Steel Charter, the Department has implemented Government policy on Steel procurement which is aimed at removing barriers to UK steel producers competing effectively in an open market. This includes, for example, publishing our upcoming steel requirements in the Government's steel pipeline. Whilst the main Defence requirements for steel are sourced by our prime contractors, MOD encourages them to source UK steel for defence projects wherever it is technically and commercially feasible to do so.

Army: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs of the Collective Training Transformation Programme (a) were originally and (b) are as of 12 September 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs of the Defence Estate Optimisation programme (a) were originally and (b) are as of 12 September 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs of the European Common Radar System Mk2 (a) were originally and (b) are as of 12 September 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs of the Future Combat Air System programme (a) were originally and (b) are as of 12 September 2023.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the projected whole life costs of the Future Cruise and Anti-Ship Weapon programme (a) were originally and (b) are as of 12 September 2023.

James Cartlidge: I will write to the right hon. Member with the detail requested once it has been collated, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Justice

Wandsworth Prison: Staff

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff are employed at HMP Wandsworth.

Damian Hinds: On 30 June 2023, there were 568 full time equivalent HMPPS payroll staff employed at HMP Wandsworth.

Prison Officers

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers at bands 3 to 5 based at each high-security institution had (a) less than three years' experience and (b) three or more years’ service in (i) 2010, (ii) 2015and(iii)2023.

Damian Hinds: Appropriate staffing across our prison estate is vitally important. In line with Prisons Strategy White Paper, published in December 2021, we are committed to recruiting up to 5,000 additional prison officers across public and private prisons by the mid-2020s in line with estate expansion. The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) prison officers has increased over time; there were 4,000 more officers in post in June 2023 compared to March 2017 Alongside this recruitment, we recognise the importance of retaining experienced staff. We launched a retention toolkit into prisons in 2021 which provides Governors with the support and tools to tackle the main drivers of attrition in their prison. Since April 2022, we have invested in a number of new initiatives, including new colleague mentors and a new peer to peer learning scheme, as well as focused leadership training in sites where staff attrition is highest. We have also made significant investments in pay to recognise the hard work of our staff. The 2023/24 Prison Service pay award was announced in July and delivered a 7% increase in the starting salary for an entry level prison officer on 39 hours, rising from £30,702 to £32,851 on the national pay scale. The resignation rate for prison officers has improved by 2.6 percentage points to below 9% for the year ending 30th June 2023. The table below details prison officers by length of service for each high security prison on the dates requested. Table 1 - Band 3-5 Prison Officers by Length of Service for each High Security prison as at 30 June 2010, 30 June 2015 and 30 June 2023  30-Jun-1030-Jun-1530-Jun-23NameUnder 33 and over% Under 3 years% 3 and overUnder 33 and over% Under 3 years% 3 and overUnder 33 and over% Under 3 years% 3 and overBelmarsh274785%95%193555%95%11631027%73%Frankland305635%95%34811%99%18944330%70%Full Sutton204125%95%53641%99%13027732%68%Garth102574%96%3418416%84%9018033%67%Gartree3117915%85%3415618%82%6615230%70%Isle of Wight3627012%88%7321725%75%Long Lartin6732617%83%123234%96%6921524%76%Manchester254635%95%14030%100%13327233%67%Swaleside9616736%64%142146%94%7018028%72%Wakefield273906%94%13070%100%15926038%62%Whitemoor353738%92%253028%92%7924424%76%Woodhill4640010%90%253137%93%10517138%62%Aylesbury1614110%90%278724%76%See Note 3Total4294,1489%91%2363,7596%94%1,3602,99331%69% Notes to Table 1:1. The length of service in HMPPS is calculated from most recent hire date. Where staff have transferred in from another Government Department or have transferred in through HMPPS taking over a function, length of service is calculated from entry to HMPPS.2. Band 3-5 Officers includes Band 3-4 / Prison Officers (incl specialists), Band 4 / Supervising Officers, and Band 5 / Custodial Managers. 3. IOW is not included as it was not part of the LTHSE in June 2010 data4. Aylesbury moved out of High Security in 2022 and thus is not included in the June 2023 data.

Young Offenders: Probation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a list of hubs that have been launched via the Transitions to Adulthood hubs pilot scheme and the amount of funding allocated per hub since 1 January 2020.

Damian Hinds: The Ministry of Justice has partnered with the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to establish an innovative Youth to Adult Hub (or Transition to Adulthood Pilot) in Newham. The Hub brings a range of holistic trauma-informed services together under one roof working alongside Probation Service staff, to improve outcomes for young adults aged 18-25 years old and 17-year-olds transitioning into adult probation. The Newham Hub was launched in 2021 and was allocated £3 million in government funding through the Shared Outcomes Fund for a two-year pilot ending in March 2023. MoJ is the lead government department, with MOPAC acting as programme manager and lead commissioner. The pilot has since been extended for a further year, funded by London Probation, MOPAC and the Barrow Cadbury Trust.

Crime Prevention: Children and Young People

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a list of projects funded via the early intervention pilot scheme and the amount of funding allocated per project since 1 January 2020.

Damian Hinds: £1.8m funding from HMT’s Shared Outcomes Fund was allocated to design and conduct a study on how police forces use Out of Court Disposals to support adults (aged 18 or over) with health vulnerabilities over a three-year period. The study has now completed, and the research report is due to be published later this year on GOV.UK.

Burglary: Self-defence

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what advice his Department provides on what constitutes reasonable self-defence for householders defending their property from intruders.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what advice his Department provides on the legal protections available to householders that use force to defend themselves or their property from an intruder.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of guidance by the Government on the use of reasonable force for (a) self-defence, (b) defence of another, (c) defence of property and (d) the prevention of crime.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice does not issue advice on criminal offences or defences. Responsibility for operational guidance on such matters are the responsibility of the individual criminal justice agencies.Where there is legislative change made by the Ministry of Justice, it will circulate an explanation of the changes that have been made but this does not constitute legal advice. A circular was published on 26 April 2013 on the “use of force in self-defence at place of residence” outlining the legislative changes that were to be made to it by section 148 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and section 43 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013. The circular is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192945/self-defence-circular.pdf.

Corruption and Economic Crime: Victims

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to help ensure that victims of (a) financial crime and (b) corruption in (i) the UK and (ii) other jurisdictions are recognised as victims for compensation purposes.

Edward Argar: Under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime, in England and Wales, all victims who have suffered harm, including economic harm, as a direct result of a crime are entitled to information about compensation and, where eligible, to be told about how to claim compensation.Relevant compensation will depend on the circumstances of the crime. For example, if the defendant is convicted, they may be ordered by the court to pay the victim compensation. Outside of the criminal justice system, there is also the possibility of civil compensation. For victims of fraud specifically, the government has just legislated to give the Payment Systems Regulator the powers it needs to make payment service providers reimburse victims of authorised fraud (where the victim is deceived into making a payment). This will come into effect in 2024. There are also arrangements in cases where an organisation is being prosecuted for fraud, bribery or other economic crimes where organisations can agree to a number of conditions, including paying compensation, in order to make reparations without a conviction (Deferred Prosecution Agreements).For potential overseas victims, (whether individuals, organisations or governments), the Serious Fraud Office will consider at an early stage whether compensation may be appropriate as part of the sentencing or resolution, and through which route that may be achieved.Development of a new UK Anti-Corruption Strategy is underway with publication expected in 2023 and will outline the UK response to strengthen resilience against corruption and illicit finance in the UK and internationally.

Ministry of Justice: National Security

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

Mike Freer: The Permanent Secretary, as Principal Accounting Officer, supported by the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, has established the Ministry of Justice’s overall approach to risk management.The Ministry of Justice has a Chief Risk Officer in place who is responsible for leading this approach. Responsibilities for the management of areas of risk, including National Security Risks, are devolved through the organisational structure, defined roles and responsibilities, and delegated authorities.

Ministry of Justice: Domestic Visits

Andrew Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department visited ministerial offices outside London in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Mike Freer: I and my fellow ministers regularly visit premises, including courts, prisons, probation and other administrative (HQ) offices across the Ministry of Justice estate.

Prisoners: Young Offender Institutions

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people aged 18 and over are being held in young offender institutions for people under the age of 18.

Damian Hinds: Young people who begin their sentences in the youth custodial estate, because they are under 18 at the time of sentencing, do not automatically transfer to the adult estate on reaching their eighteenth birthday. As of June 2023, 148 young people aged 18  were being accommodated in young offender institutions.Custody should always be a last resort for children. We have made great strides to reduce the numbers of children in the youth justice system. The most recent publication of Youth Justice Statistics showed the 20/21 population fell by 19% compared to the previous year and was 77% lower than the population for the year ending March 2012.

Department for Business and Trade

Skilled Workers: Migration

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of professional relocation services on inward investment; and if she will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: There are no plans to make an assessment.

Skilled Workers: Migration

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department issues any guidance to employee relocation businesses on the Association of Relocation Professionals' Code of Conduct as a professional standard.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: My department does not issue guidance to employee relocation businesses on the Association of Relocation Professionals' Code of Conduct as a professional standard.

Economic Growth: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department has taken to increase opportunities for economic growth in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in the last three years.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade supports businesses to invest, grow and export, creating jobs and opportunities across the whole country including Enfield and wider London.For example, as of August 2023, the Department provided Start Up Loans worth over £2.2m to local businesses in Enfield North.£14.76m has been awarded to Energetik, an Enfield council-owned heating company developing low carbon infrastructure. A further £1m for Enfield's Retrofit Accelerator Programme is generating green jobs in construction, manufacturing, and project management.London has also benefited from the national Help to Grow scheme which supports small and medium sized enterprises across the UK.

Exports: Government Assistance

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support business exports.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government’s Export Strategy, ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’, focuses on the challenges UK businesses face when exporting and sets out a 12-point plan which targets barriers to trade and helps businesses at every stage of their export journey. My Department continues to support companies through our network of domestic and overseas trade advisers, sector specialists, Export Support Service, Export Academy, International Markets network as well as through UK Export Finance. We are also helping businesses to benefit from new free trade agreements and working across Government to reduce barriers to exporting and simplify border processes.

Small Businesses: Billing

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that SMEs are paid on time by larger firms.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is aware that late payment remains a significant problem for small businesses across the country. That is why at the beginning of 2023 the Government launched a review of Cash flow and Prompt Payment, alongside a public consultation on the Payment Performance Regulations. The findings of the review, alongside the consultation response, will be published later in 2023. The Government will use the findings of this review to improve the Payment Performance Regulations, the Small Business Commissioner, and the Prompt Payment Code to improve payment culture in the UK, to reduce late payments and its impact on SMEs.

Arms Trade: Exports

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many defence export licences have been identified as not complying with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria after their initial approval in each of the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: Where an export licence is no longer consistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, such as when there has been a change in circumstances in the destination country, then that licence will be revoked. Alternatively, we may invite the licensee to surrender the licence. Between 1 January 2018 to 31 March 2023, we revoked 19 Standard Individual Export Licences and two Open Individual Export Licences (OIELs) in full for military-rated goods. In addition, three multi-destination OIELs were amended to remove one destination and three OIELs were amended to remove two destinations. HM Government publishes Official Statistics on export licences granted, refused and revoked to all destinations: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data. Currently this includes information up to 31 March 2023.

Strike Ballots

Angela Richardson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many ballots for strike action have been held by registered trade unions since the Trade Union Act 2016 came into force; and what information his Department holds on the number of ballots for strike that did not reach the threshold established under the Act.

Kevin Hollinrake: Available data relating to ballots for industrial action held by registered trade unions since the Trade Union Act 2016 came into force can be found on gov.uk under the Certification Officer’s official list of trade unions and their annual returns.

Summertime

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of keeping the UK on British Summer Time.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK.While there is the potential for some benefits from a change in the current arrangements, there is also a real risk of negative impacts. A change to permanent summertime or double summertime may also have significant impacts on certain sectors and businesses.Given the potential scale of impacts involved, an exceptionally wide-ranging cost benefit analysis would need to be performed to inform a decision on changing the current system.

Trade Promotion: Whisky

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to promote Scotch whisky in international markets.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) offers a comprehensive package of support for whisky exporters, from our export academy which supports ‘new to export’ smaller businesses through to dedicated trade missions to key markets, inward buyer visits and a UK presence at major food and drink trade shows such as Prowein, Germany. Moreover, DBT has staff in over 100 markets globally, contactable via our Export Support Service, a team of agriculture attachés in 11 markets focused on eliminating barriers for the food and drink industry and a dedicated team in Scotland focusing on support for Scottish exporters, including the Scotch whisky sector.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the covid-19 wastewater testing programme in England on monitoring the rate of infection.

Maria Caulfield: Wastewater monitoring for COVID-19 and its variants was stood down in April 2022 in response to the Government policy change to Living with COVID-19. Therefore, in England, there has been no wastewater testing for COVID-19 within the last 12 months. Wastewater sampling, and subsequent analysis, has the benefit of detecting the virus regardless of whether people have symptoms or whether they are tested. Environmental factors such as rainfall dilution can influence the detection of variants in wastewater. Therefore, low total detections on some days may not be reflective of low community infection levels. Wastewater monitoring cannot currently estimate the number of cases associated with a detection with a high degree of confidence. For example, in small catchment areas it is possible, but highly unlikely, that a detection is due to a single individual. In larger catchment areas detections are likely to be related to a higher number of cases in the population.

Coronavirus: Hospitals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support hospitals to manage new covid-19 variants.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors cases of COVID-19 to identify any variants of concern which might cause significant morbidity and therefore result in additional pressures on the National Health Service, including hospitals.As a precautionary measure given the emergence of the BA.2.86 variant, the current autumn booster campaign has been brought forward to start from 11 September 2023. While BA.2.86 is not currently classified as a variant of concern, UKHSA advised that speeding up the autumn vaccine programme will deliver greater protection, supporting those at greatest risk of severe illness and reducing the potential impact on the NHS.In addition, our recovery plan for urgent and emergency care, backed by £1 billion of dedicated funding, sets out measures to increase patient flow in hospital and reduce bed occupancy. This includes increasing capacity, adding 5,000 additional beds to the permanent bed base ahead of this coming winter.

Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to raise awareness of (a) the number of hospital admissions and (b) mortality from covid-19 variants.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) continues to monitor the threat posed by COVID-19 through a range of surveillance systems and genomic capabilities which report on infection rates, hospitalisations and the risks posed by new variants.UKHSA publishes a fortnightly flu and COVID-19 surveillance report. This includes data on COVID-19 hospitalisations and excess mortality. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2023-to-2024-season.Data on hospital admissions with COVID-19 and deaths with COVID-19 on their death certificate is published on the COVID-19 dashboard. Further information can be found at the following link:https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/UKHSA also publishes technical briefings on variants, which includes data on hospital admissions and mortality rates. This report shares the detailed variant surveillance analyses which contribute to the variant risk assessments and designation of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. This specialist technical briefing contains early data and analysis on emerging variants, and findings have a high level of uncertainty. Variant designations are made when variants are considered significant enough to report in routine surveillance and to facilitate variant-specific epidemiological studies. The designation means that UKHSA has confirmed a genomic case definition and will monitor the variant through regular surveillance analyses. The latest publication is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investigation-of-sars-cov-2-variants-technical-briefingsUKHSA also publishes COVID-19 updates on GOV.UK, which are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-variants-identified-in-the-uk-latest-update

Coronavirus and Influenza: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of (a) covid-19 and (b) flu vaccinations in 2023.

Maria Caulfield: From 8 December 2020 to 9 July 2023, over 149 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been delivered in England, and as of 31 March 2023, more than 21.2 million people in England have had their flu jabs. The Government, together with the National Health Service and the UK Health Security Agency, are providing advice and information at every possible opportunity to support those getting the vaccine and to anyone who might have questions about the vaccination process.NHS England continues to emphasise the role of clinicians in proactively identifying clinically vulnerable cohorts and is working alongside patient charities and professional bodies to ensure anyone eligible is identified and referred for vaccination.Tailored communications have been developed for specialists caring for each group of eligible patients within the immunosuppressed cohort. This includes template referral letters to make it as easy as possible for clinicians to signpost people to get their vaccination.NHS England have offered an Access and Inequalities Fund to support local systems in delivering creative approaches to driving equitable uptake across their communities, such as mobile clinics, community ambassadors and bespoke outreach activities.NHS England have also encouraged local partners to administer flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time where possible to increase the convenience of getting vaccinated for eligible patients.

Question

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the rate of stillbirths in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the rate of preterm births in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Maria Caulfield: Based on Office for National Statistics (ONS) data releases, the stillbirth rate was 4.1 per 1,000 total births in 2021 and 3.9 per 1,000 total births in 2022 for England and Wales.Based on ONS data releases, the preterm birth rate for 2021 was 7.7 per 100 total births. The Department does not hold an estimate of the preterm birth rate for 2022.

Surgery: Shipley

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September to Question 197441 on Surgery: Shipley, in what format the is data held.

Neil O'Brien: Data for elective referrals is collected and published in official statistics by NHS England, but none match the format of the data requested. Referrals particularly are not counted or recorded for “surgery” specifically but to see a consultant which may result in treatment including surgery.Published referral to treatment statistics show, amongst other things, the number of referrals for National Health Service-funded care that resulted in elective inpatient treatment and can be disaggregated at NHS provider, independent provider, commissioner & integrated care board level geographies, but not at a constituency or general practitioner (GP) level. The monthly outpatient referrals data shows the number of referrals for an NHS funded outpatient appointment and can also be disaggregated at the provider level, including both NHS and independent. The annual hospital episode statistics (HES) publications include the total number of admissions by provider.Furthermore, NHS England can provide from HES data a count of Finished Admission Episodes by GP practice with an elective admission where the patient was resident in the Shipley parliamentary constituency and the placement was NHS funded for the period 2018/19 to 2022/23. However, this is a count of activity rather than of referrals, namely a demand metric.

Dental Services

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of dental practices are accepting NHS patients per  Integrated care system.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally. National Health Service dental practice profiles at NHS.UK show whether practices across England are currently accepting new patients. This information is available at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

Healthy Start Scheme

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the uptake was of the Healthy Start scheme in each of the last 10 years.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly uptake figures for the Healthy Start scheme are available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The following table shows the average yearly uptake of the Healthy Start scheme in the last ten financial years: Financial YearUptake2013/201476.60%2014/201575.20%2015/201673.00%2016/201769.50%2017/201867.10%2018/201966.70%2019/202054.80%2020/202151.00%2021/202259.40%2022/202363.30% Source: NHS Business Services AuthorityNote: For the financial year 2022/23 the uptake percentage shown is representative of the average from January to March 2023 only.

Health Services: Standards

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to give patients the right to an urgent second medical opinion.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is actively considering how this proposal can be developed and implemented in the National Health Service. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has asked the Patient Safety Commissioner to convene NHS England and others to urgently consider this matter in detail and to make recommendations.

Podiatry: Waiting Lists

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for podiatric appointments in England.

Will Quince: Information on the average waiting time for podiatric appointments is not held in the format requested. As of July 2023, there were 126,128 adults on the waiting lists for podiatry and podiatric surgery. The following table shows how long people had been on the waiting list at a point in time:-Total waiting listWaiting 0-1 weeksWaiting >1-2 weeksWaiting >2-4 weeksWaiting >4-12 weeksWaiting >12-18 weeksWaiting >18-52 weeksWaiting >52 weeksAdult - Podiatry and podiatric surgery126,12812,8859,37615,65738,94613,78425,4485,635 The sum of weekly breakdowns may not match the total waiting list number as some providers were still collecting data by weeks waiting.

Podiatry: Staff

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff were employed in podiatric care in each year since 2019.

Will Quince: The Department does not hold the information requested. NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Service workforce statistics for England, including by National Health Service trust. The data is not though able to identify staff employed in podiatric care services.

Sodium Valproate: Prescriptions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing prescribing guidelines for sodium valproate to help ensure that babies of men and women do not experience disability due to that medication.

Will Quince: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent, expert body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice. NICE will consider any amendments to its existing recommendations on the use of sodium valproate in the light of any changes to the medicine’s regulatory status.In August 2023, NICE added a note to its guidance stating “The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued new safety advice on risks associated with valproate for the under 55s in December 2022. NICE states that the valproate recommendations in this guideline will be reviewed once further advice from the MHRA is available. People currently taking valproate should not stop taking it unless they are advised by a specialist to do so”.

Haemochromatosis

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to improve NHS guidance on the characterisation of symptoms associated with haemochromatosis.

Will Quince: It is not NHS England’s role to develop clinical guidelines; however, should a new evidence base arise, clinical policy may be updated by relevant organisations, for example, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NHS England would then consider the development of care pathways. Implementing treatments that are in line with NICE guidelines helps to improve patient safety and reduce the risk of harm across the health system.NICE reviewed its guidelines portfolio in May 2023 to identify topics that it thinks will add the most value to the health and care system. As a result, NICE identified several topics, including the guidance on haemochromatosis, where work will stop for the time being to allow focus on key priorities.These topics will be reconsidered by NICE’s new Prioritisation Board that is being established by its Chief Medical Officer, and as work to establish the prioritisation board progresses during this year, more information on timescales will become available. NICE will make further information available on its website once topics have been reprioritised.

Intensive Care

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to implement continuous surveillance in critical care units to monitor patient safety.

Maria Caulfield: We are clear that advancing patient safety must remain a top priority for the National Health Service. Whilst the Department has no current plans to implement continuous surveillance in critical care units, we have made significant strides to advance patient safety and the response to harm over the last decade. The measures we have introduced are about creating a transparent, learning culture across the health system. They include implementing key programmes from the first NHS Patient Safety Strategy (2019) to help create a positive safety culture and a widespread focus on reducing avoidable harm and improving safety.

Department of Health and Social Care: Stonewall

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department met Stonewall to discuss equality issues in each year since 2021.

Maria Caulfield: Ministers have not met Stonewall to discuss equality issues. Information on how many times officials have met with Stonewall is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Health Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Major Conditions Strategy: case for change and our strategic framework, published by his Department on 21 August 2023, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of implementing the framework.

Will Quince: Funding for the development of the Strategy will come out of the Department’s existing funding allocation. This funding is not separately identified.The funding provided at the Autumn Statement comes on top of the 2021 Spending Review Settlement, which provided a 33% total cash increase of £43.9 billion when compared to 2019/20, when our budget outturn was £133.5 billion.As part of the Strategy, we will identifying innovative actions to help alleviate pressure on the National Health Service, such as maximising use of new technologies to screen individuals for conditions.

Doctors and Nurses: Resignations

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses left the NHS in England in each of the last 10 years.

Will Quince: The annual numbers of doctors and nurses leaving active service in the National Health Service in England are published quarterly by NHS England as part of their NHS Workforce Statistics Collection. The data is available in the Turnover SG and Region HC tab at the following link:https://files.digital.nhs.uk/F3/56BC62/HCHS%20staff%20in%20NHS%20Trusts%20and%20core%20orgs%20March%202023%20-%20Turnover%20tables.xlsxThe data includes staff employed by NHS trusts and commissioning bodies, but excludes staff directly employed by primary care, general practitioner surgeries, local authorities and other providers such as community interest companies and private providers. Leavers includes staff leaving to work in primary care, for local authorities and for private providers, including those doing NHS commissioned work. Doctors in training will rotate in a planned way around the wider health care system as part of their training and so have higher recorded leaver rates. The statistics also count those taking breaks in paid employment, such as unpaid maternity leave.

NHS: Vacancies

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have made on the number of staffing vacancies in the NHS in England in financial year 2026-27.

Will Quince: No specific estimates have been made.

Department of Health and Social Care: Offices

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total cost was of refurbishments to his Department's offices at 39 Victoria Street in the last 12 months; and what the procurement references were for these refurbishments.

Will Quince: Alongside ongoing maintenance, within the last 12 months work has been carried out at 39 Victoria Street to remove a suite of individual ministerial offices and replace these with a flexible co-working space accessible by all members of staff that can also be used for large meetings.Ministers now use desks on an open-plan floor alongside department staff.Space has also been provided to allow NHS England staff to work in the Department to further improve collaboration between the two organisations.This work has been undertaken alongside a wider programme to reduce the number of Department of Health and Social Care offices from 21 to 10 core locations, as well as a wider reform and efficiency programme, which has seen the Department’s headcount reduced by around one in six over the last year.The total cost of refurbishment work at 39 Victoria Street was approximately £140,000. All work has been undertaken by existing facilities management contractors and within existing, pre-allocated, annual budgets for property maintenance.

NHS: Resignations

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff left the health service by job role in the last 12 months.

Will Quince: The numbers and rates of joiners to, and leavers from the National Health Service, for staff employed in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England are published quarterly by NHS England as part of their NHS Workforce Statistics Collection. The data is available at the following link, and can be found in the Turnover SG and Region HC tab:https://files.digital.nhs.uk/F3/56BC62/HCHS%20staff%20in%20NHS%20Trusts%20and%20core%20orgs%20March%202023%20-%20Turnover%20tables.xlsxJoiners and leavers can also be filtered by grades in the Turnover, age & nationality tab.The data includes staff employed by NHS trusts and integrated care boards but excludes staff directly employed by primary care, general practitioner surgeries, local authorities, and other providers such as community interest companies and private providers.The count of “leavers” includes staff leaving to work in primary care, for local authorities and for private providers. Each year there is flows of staff going each way between NHS Trusts and other health providers.In the past year we have seen record numbers of staff across the NHS, including record numbers of doctors and nurses. Total staff numbers are 5.2% higher than a year ago, and there are 4.8% more doctors and 5.2% more nurses. This is driven by numbers of joiners remaining above number of leavers.The first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan has set out as series of interventions to train, retain, and reform the workforce and put the NHS on a sustainable footing for the future. It outlines actions to retain our dedicated NHS workforce by allowing greater flexibility and career progression and improving culture, leadership, and wellbeing, while continuing to focus on equality and inclusion.

Dementia: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the dementia diagnosis rate in Enfield North constituency.

Helen Whately: Timely diagnosis of dementia is vital to ensure that a person with dementia in any local area can access the advice, information, care and support that can help them to live well with the condition and remain independent for as long as possible.This commitment is included in the NHS priorities and operational planning guidance for 2023/24, providing a clear direction for ICBs to support delivery of timely diagnosis locally.The estimated diagnosis rate in NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board in July 2023 was 67.9%, which was higher than both the national ambition (66.7%) and the national dementia diagnosis rate for the same month (63.8%).NHS England is taking several actions to improve diagnosis rates. In 2021/22, the Government allocated £17 million to the National Health Service to address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. NHS England will share learning on good practice with dementia clinical networks by the end of September 2023.To address regional variation in dementia diagnosis rates, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ Dementia Intelligence Network has been commissioned by NHS England to develop a resource to support investigation of the underlying variation in dementia diagnosis rates. The aim of this work is to provide context for variation and enable targeted investigation and provision of support at a local level to enhance diagnosis rates. The tool has been released and is available via the NHS Futures Collaboration platform.

NHS: Buildings

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS trusts are using temporary buildings for clinical purposes.

Will Quince: This is NHS England operational information and they do not collate it centrally.

Medical Records: Databases

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS Federated Data Platform delivers transparency on (a) what patient data will be made available, (b) which third-party organisations will have access, (c) how the use of data will be limited, (d) patients’ (i) rights and (ii) mechanisms for opting out and (e) what safeguards will be in place to protect confidential patient data.

Will Quince: NHS England has responsibility for procuring the Federated Data Platform (FDP) for use by the National Health Service. The supplier will be a data processor on behalf of NHS organisations. Each integrated care system and trust will need to determine how they will use their platform and each use case will require a Data Protection Impact Assessment to articulate the data security and protection principals and lawful bases for deployment.The type of data will depend on the uses of the data as defined by the individual NHS organisations. It is anticipated that there will be various types of data used including anonymised, pseudonymised and in some cases identifiable data, but subject to stringent controls on access and use. Trusts will use the FDP locally to deliver direct care to patients. Only NHS organisations, and those working on their behalf, will have access to the data.The platform will only use data to which the NHS is already able to access and use; patients will have the same rights in relation to the data in the FDP as apply to other data in use in health. The National Data Opt-Out will apply, in line with the national policy, where the platform is handling confidential patient information for planning. Such uses will be clearly identified to the public via Privacy Notices.NHS England is procuring Privacy Enhancing Technology to ensure data is safe; this cannot be provided by the supplier of the FDP and Associated Services.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve waiting times for cancer treatment in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency and (b) England.

Will Quince: Reducing cancer treatment waiting times is a priority for this Government. The Department is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care. The Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity.In the 2023/24 Operational Planning Guidance, NHS England announced it is providing over £390 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances in each of the next two years to support delivery of the strategy and the operational priorities for cancer which includes increasing and prioritising diagnostic and treatment capacity for cancer.Additionally, the Government recently published the Major Conditions Strategy Case for Change and Our Strategic Framework on 14 August 2023 which sets out our approach to making the choices over the next 5 years that will deliver the most value in facing the health challenges of today and of the decades ahead, including for cancer.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of women in (a) the South East and (b) England who have missed breast cancer screening appointments since March 2020.

Will Quince: For the combined two-year period of 2020/21 and 2021/22, the available data shows that in the South East, 255,715 women invited did not attend their breast screening appointment; and in England, 1,863,100 women invited did not attend their breast screening appointment. More information is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/breast-screening-programme

Members: Correspondence

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average length of time is that it takes his Department to respond to Members’ correspondence.

Will Quince: The Department continues to treat correspondence from parliamentarians as a priority and the Cabinet Office standard for responses is 20 working days. Volumes continue to be higher than they were pre-pandemic, and we are working though detailed recovery plans to improve our response rates.With regards to the timeliness of responses to enquiries received by members, the Cabinet Office published data on this for 2022 for all Government Departments on GOV.UK in March 2023, and will be publishing data for Q1 and Q2 2023 shortly. The 2022 data is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers-2022

NHS: Managers

Dr Caroline Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS managers are registered by (a) the General Medical Council, (b) the Nursing and Midwifery Council and (c) another specified professional regulatory body.

Will Quince: The Department does not hold data on the proportion of National Health Service managers that are registered by the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or another specified professional regulatory body.Healthcare professional regulators, including the GMC and NMC, do not have a separate register for NHS managers or a registration category of ‘NHS manager’. The role of healthcare professional regulators is to set and maintain the standards for healthcare professionals seeking to practise in their respective professions in the United Kingdom.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS has taken to contact women who missed breast cancer screening appointments due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Will Quince: All breast screening services are reporting that they have recovered from the impact of COVID-19.To achieve this a number of steps have been taken, including:- Breast Screening Offices running extra screening sessions and fully optimising available appointments to clear the mammogram backlog;- developing a ‘NHS National Demand and Capacity Tool’ to support collation and analyses of data to identify where support and interventions are required;- adapting mobile breast screening units so that women can be seen safely, in line with infection protection and control procedures;- providers being encouraged to use methods such as text messaging to remind women about their breast screening invitation and encourage them to attend; and- regional commissioners working closely with cancer alliances and cancer charities to develop uptake plans which address specific population needs.In addition, the Department has invested £10 million of funding into the NHS Breast Screening Programme, providing 28 new breast screening units targeted at areas with the greatest challenges of uptake and coverage to boost uptake of screening in areas where attendance is low and tackle health disparities.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning research into the impact of haemochromatosis-related symptoms on people living with the condition.

Will Quince: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is not currently supporting research specifically on the impact of haemochromatosis-related symptoms on people living with this condition. However, the NIHR has funded a study on diagnostic strategies for haemochromatosis and is supporting research to improve diagnosis of haemochromatosis. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the impact of haemochromatosis-related symptoms on individuals.

Question

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of extending the electricity grant available to people using medical equipment at home.

Will Quince: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with other Cabinet colleagues on a variety of matters pertaining to health and social care, including support for people using medical equipment at home.As set out in the Autumn Statement, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are exploring the best approach to consumer protection, as part of wider retail market reforms. The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are supporting the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in this.An NHS England specialised commissioning team is working to support Department of Health and Social Care colleagues with identifying energy-reliant medical devices used in patients' homes, and identifying clinical expert nominees to advise more widely, as part of their operational response.The Government continues to monitor the situation and will keep options under review, including with respect to the most vulnerable households.

Diabetes: Drugs

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of supply of medicines treating type-2 diabetes in the context of fluctuating levels of demand.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ringfence the supply of glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists medication for patients with type 2 diabetes.

Will Quince: We are aware of a supply issue with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, which has been largely driven by off-label use for weight loss. We have issued guidance in the form of Medicine Supply Notifications and, on 18 July, issued a National Patient Safety Alert which made it clear that these medicines should only be prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.All prescribers, whether employed privately or by the National Health Service, are expected to take account of appropriate national guidance. It is for the responsible clinician to work with their patient and decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the individual always being the primary consideration.We have engaged with relevant regulators, and the General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards.We have also added Ozempic and other glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for UK patients, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries. We have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine whilst there are shortages and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.

NHS: Sexual Offences

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce instances of sexual harassment and sexual assault within the NHS.

Will Quince: National Health Service organisations are responsible for protecting their patients and staff from sexual misconduct and harassment and are required to have a policy that deals with sexual misconduct.In July 2022 NHS England established a Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Programme to build on safeguarding processes for protecting patients, improve victim support, and focus on early intervention and prevention. The programme has been expanded to address sexual safety in healthcare.NHS England expects every NHS trust and local health system in England to have a domestic abuse and sexual violence lead to support patients and staff to report incidents and access support.On 4 September 2023, NHS England launched the health service’s first sexual safety charter for those who work, train and learn within the healthcare system. The charter is an agreement comprising of 10 pledges, including commitments to provide staff with clear reporting mechanisms, training and support from managers. Those organisations signing up to the Charter commit to taking and enforcing a zero-tolerance approach to any form of sexual misconduct in the workplace, with a commitment to implement the pledges by July 2024.

Diabetes: Health Services

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to improve access to (a) technological and (b) psychological support for people with diabetes.

Will Quince: The latest technological support for people with diabetes, the hybrid closed loop system (the ‘artificial pancreas’) is currently progressing through the final stages of a Technical Assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Ensuring that these technologies can be provided on the National Health Service at a cost-effective price increases access to these technologies for all eligible people.The latest data shows over 60% of people with Type 1 diabetes were prescribed flash glucose monitoring, against an NHS Long Term Plan target of 20%. When the programme commenced, Flash was twice more likely to be prescribed to patients living in the most affluent areas. The current ratio between most and least affluent is now down to less than 1.2 times more likely, with many areas reporting complete parity.As of October 2022, 97% of pregnant women living with type 1 diabetes were offered continuous glucose monitoring. The latest figures indicate that there is equitable access to the technology across deciles and ethnicities in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation.NHS England has commissioned digital support programmes for people with diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes can self-refer to ‘MyType1 Diabetes’ and people with type 2 diabetes can self-refer to the online Healthy Living Programme.Approximately 72% of children and young people living with type 1 diabetes have registered with the Digibete app, a free online service to support children and young people to manage their type 1 diabetes.The Spring 2023 Budget contained a package of over £400 million to support the long-term sick, and disabled. This includes approximately £200 million for digital mental health – to modernise NHS Talking Therapies services in England. NHS Talking Therapies services provide evidence-based psychological treatments for people with depression and anxiety disorders, and comorbid long-term physical health conditions such as diabetes.Building on Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) pilots the NHS Diabetes Programme approved funding for five additional T1DE sites.

Health Services: Pilot Schemes

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England about funding for the Cavell Centres national pilot scheme.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Health: Children

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of supervised toothbrushing programmes that are operating in each local authority; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of those programmes on the oral health of children.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Trusts: Sexual Offences

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2023 to Question 198541 on NHS Trusts: Sexual Offences, for how long it has been a requirement that NHS organisations should have a policy on sexual misconduct; and what steps his Department takes to enforce this requirement.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Training

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department spent on the (a) Childcare Allowance (b) Parent Learning Allowance and (c) Dependent's Allowance of the NHS Bursary; and how many people have (i) made a claim and (ii) been eligible for support under that scheme in each of the last five years.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ophthalmology: Surgery

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people on waiting lists for ophthalmology surgery in North Central London.

Will Quince: The most recent published NHS England statistics from July 2023 show that there were 11,167 people waiting for ophthalmology surgery within the North Central London Integrated Care Board.

Cancer: Health Services

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS cancer patients have waited longer than (a) 62 days, (b) 3 months, (c) 4 months, (d) 6 months and (e) 12 months in each of the last three years.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the single longest wait for a patient to start cancer treatment on the NHS for each of the last three years.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Ed Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with an urgent referral are waiting to start cancer treatment on the NHS.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Anticoagulants

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of variation in the management of anticoagulant-associated bleeds on patients.

Will Quince: The clinical steps taken to address haemorrhage often vary from patient to patient and are influenced by a number of factors including but not limited to, the underlying indication for anticoagulation, the site of the bleed and its clinical consequences and the timing, volume and progression of the bleed. While no specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of variation in the management of anticoagulant-associated bleeds on patients, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continually reviews the safety, efficacy and quality of medicines including treatments for anticoagulant associated bleeds, publishing drug safety updates where necessary to better inform clinicians and patients of the bleeding risk of anticoagulants.

Podiatry: Research

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of research on the role of podiatric healthcare professionals in helping to prevent conditions and illnesses related to podiatric conditions.

Will Quince: No assessment has been made.Podiatrists play a vital role in supporting services in the National Health Service, with a range of roles in primary, secondary, and community care. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets an ambition to grow the number and proportion of NHS staff working in a range of areas, including primary and community care, to enable the service ambition to deliver more preventative and proactive care across the NHS.

NHS: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been hired in NHS roles relating to equality, diversity and inclusion since 2020.

Will Quince: This information is not collected centrally.

Ovarian Cancer: Diagnosis

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the time taken to diagnose ovarian cancer.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help increase awareness of the main symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Will Quince: Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including ovarian cancer, remains a priority. We are working towards the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage 1 and 2 by 2028. The latest published data shows this was 52% between January to December 2020. Achieving this will mean that, from 2028, 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis. The National Health Service is improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred and is looking into alternative routes into the system, including non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single ‘urgent cancer’ referral pathway but who are at risk of being diagnosed with cancer. This will help support faster ovarian cancer diagnosis. 108 NSS pathways are currently operational, with more in development. By March 2024, the NSS programme will achieve full population coverage across England for non-specific symptom pathways as set out in the 2023/24 NHS Planning Guidance.Reducing variation in cancer services is a strategic priority for the NHS Cancer Programme. The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned five new cancer clinical audits, which will provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The Royal College of Surgeons began work on this audit in October last year with the first outcomes expected in 2023/24. This includes an audit on ovarian cancer.To encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice or are worried about symptoms that could be cancer, NHS England is running the ‘Help Us, Help You’ (HUHY) campaigns. This included multiple phases of the campaign that had a focus on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of ovarian cancer, most recently in November and December 2022. Alongside that phase of the campaign, NHS England funded a series of community engagement events coordinated by a cluster of gynaecological cancer charities, led by Target Ovarian Cancer.The NHS plans to run further HUHY campaign activity through 2023/24.

Members: Correspondence

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to correspondence of 30 August 2023 from the hon. Members for Luton South and Luton North.

Will Quince: The Department is endeavouring to provide the fullest possible response to the hon. Members and will reply at the earliest opportunity.

NHS: Waiting Lists

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for NHS treatment in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency and (b) England.

Will Quince: Reducing waiting times for National Health Service treatment in England, including in Liverpool, Walton constituency, is one of the Government’s top priorities.To support elective recovery, the Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity. Steps taken include increasing capacity, seeking alternative capacity in other trusts or the independent sector, engaging with patients to understand their choices, increasing activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs and rolling out up to 160 Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) by March 2025. These include an established spoke CDC at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, to which general practices in Liverpool, Walton constituency can refer patients for key diagnostic checks, tests and scans.The NHS is reducing long waits despite more people coming forward for treatment. Waits of 18 months or more have now been virtually eliminated (7,289 patients were waiting 18 months or more for treatment as of July 2023, a decrease of more than 94% from its peak in September 2021). We are taking action to bring down waits of over a year, including reducing the number of people requiring unnecessary follow-up appointments, to free up capacity.

Podiatry: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of patients waiting for podiatry care in Enfield North constituency.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held at constituency level. The data does not provide information on current waiting times but shows the number of people who are on the waiting list at a specific point in time.Enfield North is covered by the North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB). Across that ICB area, there were 2,540 people on the community health services waiting list for adult podiatry and podiatric surgery in July 2023.

Question

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) funding and (b) amount of research undertaken on pregnancy.

Will Quince: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2018, approximately £68 million has been invested into research on pregnancy across NIHR’s research programmes. No assessment of the adequacy has been made and it is not usual practice for the NIHR to ringfence funds for particular topics or conditions. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pregnancy.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Exercise and Sports: Wearable Technology

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the manufacturers of wearable devices on the potential role of such devices in encouraging an increase in (a) levels of exercise and (b) participation in sport.

Stuart Andrew: Wearable devices often provide real-time feedback to the user, including step counts, heart rate, and calories burned, and it is this type of feedback that can promote increased self- awareness and drive motivation to maintain or increase physical activity levels.Research suggests that the consistent use of wearable devices can help to establish healthier routines and habits, leading to sustained physical activity. However, effectiveness varies based on individual factors, design considerations, and alignment with users' motivations and preferences.No discussions have been held directly with manufacturers on this matter.

Commonwealth Games

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is working with devolved Administrations to bid for the (a) 2026 or (b) 2030 Commonwealth Games.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the decisions made by (a) Victoria, Australia and (b) Alberta, Canada to withdraw from hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026 and 2030 respectively.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with representatives of the government of Victoria, Australia, in the last 12 months.

Stuart Andrew: The announcement by the Victorian Government was disappointing for fans and athletes. The government is keen that the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026 so that athletes have the chance to compete and fans have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible event.The UK is proud to have hosted the Games twice in the past decade, including in Birmingham last year: coming in under budget and adding at least £870 million GVA to the UK economy. We are committed to working with the CGF and Commonwealth countries to support a sustainable future for the Games.

Culture: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure the adequacy of funding for cultural activities for (a) adults and (b) children in Enfield North constituency.

Sir John Whittingdale: HM Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality arts and culture opportunities and activities, regardless of their background or where they live.With the encouragement of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council England has developed Priority Places and Levelling Up for Culture Places to address historic imbalances in investment. As part of this, priority places receive dedicated Arts Council staff resources to build capacity locally. The London Borough of Enfield is a Priority Place.Since 2019/20, Arts Council England has invested almost £4 million in the Enfield North constituency. This funding includes £227,000 to ‘Building Enfield's Creative Capacity', a collaborative project delivering programmes of creative activity between July 2023 and March 2024 which celebrates Enfield’s industrial heritage and explores its future industrial identity through specialist art commissions, participatory workshops, open studios, exhibitions, public artworks, and community theatre co-produced with local people. In addition, Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme remains open for funding bids from anyone operating arts and cultural activities for the local community in Enfield North.

Community News Project

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implication for its polices of the announcement by Meta that it plans to discontinue its funding for the Community News Project on local journalism.

Sir John Whittingdale: The government is disappointed to see that Meta is closing its Community News Project. We are working to support journalism and local newsrooms to ensure the sustainability of this vital industry, and our new digital markets regime will help rebalance the relationship between the most powerful platforms and those who rely on them – including press publishers.Additionally, our support for the sector has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and the BBC also supports the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: National Security

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether their Department has a Chief Risk Officer responsible for national security risks relating to the work of their Department.

Sir John Whittingdale: The department is not a lead for any national security risks.Where relevant the department is brought in by the Cabinet Office.The department does not currently have a chief risk officer. Strategic executive risks, including any relevant national security risks published in August 2023, are managed through the department’s risk management processes in line with the Orange Book. The Executive Board leads the assessment and management of strategic risk within the organisation.

Department for Transport

Driving Tests

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to provide people who paid a broker to obtain a driving test with financial support.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times to obtain driving tests.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether financial support is available for people who cannot afford to pay for a driving test.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of driving tests.

Mr Richard Holden: Since April 2021, the recovery measures put in place by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, together with the ongoing recruitment of driving examiners, is creating approximately 40,000 extra car test appointments each month. These measures include conducting out-of-hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends, asking all those qualified to conduct tests but who do not do so as part of their current day job, to return to conducting tests, and asking recently retired driving examiners to return.As of 18 September 2023, there were 561,275 car practical driving tests booked, and 64,817 driving tests available within the 24-week booking window.The DVSA is aware of some people who have been using apps and bots to find a test date. These apps or bots are not approved by the DVSA as they make it harder for candidates to get a test and can also result in people paying more for a test, than the official test fee. Using such services also means that any changes to the test may not necessarily be relayed to the candidate. The DVSA will also continue to inform candidates of the official channels for booking a test. The DVSA has taken measures to encourage learners to use the official booking site on GOV.UK by ensuring that it appears as high as possible on popular search engines and by promoting the official website on social media. The fees for the services that the DVSA offers have remained largely the same for over 10 years. The car driving test fee was last changed in 2009 and has not kept up with inflation. The fee for a driving test represents a relatively small component of the overall cost of learning to drive.

Government Departments: Motor Vehicles

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the London Ultra-Low Emission Zone expansion on the cost of non-compliant Government vehicles travelling in London.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department for Transport (DfT) has several Agencies based outside of the London Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and are not affected. The Government Car Service (GCS) is a division of the central DfT and operates in the ULEZ daily. The GCS Operational Fleet are compliant.

Passenger Ships

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the contribution of the sea going passenger cruise industry to the economy.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department fully recognises that the cruise sector brings significant economic benefits to the UK, particularly coastal communities. A Maritime UK study published in 2019 showed that in 2017 cruise directly and indirectly contributed £9.4 billion to the UK economy and supported 82,000 jobs.

Passenger Ships

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take steps to support Passenger Cruise Ships to increase embarkation, disembarkation and visits at UK ports.

Mr Richard Holden: Pre-pandemic cruising was one of the fastest growing tourism sectors worldwide and the industry is confident that cruise visits to the UK in 2023 will surpass the record levels seen in 2019. In 2022, as the industry recovered from the pandemic, the Department set up the Cruise Industry and Government Forum to discuss longer-term strategic issues and priority areas, including the growth of the cruise market in the UK.

Gatwick Airport

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with (a) airlines and (b) unions on strikes and departures from Gatwick Airport.

Jesse Norman: UK aviation operates in the private sector; and industrial relations are managed between the employers and the unions. Any instances of industrial action are for Gatwick to manage with their airlines, ground handlers and other organisations. A number of strikes were announced over the summer by ground handlers and service providers for passengers with reduced mobility at Gatwick. Department for Transport officials engaged with the airport and with ground handlers to ensure that robust plans were in place to manage disruption. As a result of negotiation between the Unions and the employer, the strikes were cancelled.

Large Goods Vehicles: Electric Vehicles

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the public charging infrastructure for battery electric HGVs.

Jesse Norman: The Government understands that HGV recharging and refuelling infrastructure is key to a successful transition. The Department is working with industry stakeholders to develop a zero emission HGV infrastructure strategy for publication in early 2024. The strategy will set direction and outline the respective roles and responsibilities of both government and industry to ensure the delivery of the refuelling and recharging infrastructure required to meet the 2035 and 2040 end of sale dates for new non-zero emission HGVs. The strategy development includes an assessment of current and future public charging infrastructure requirements, currently underway.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the local electric vehicle infrastructure funding allocation for local and city-region authorities on regional differences in the availability charging provision.

Jesse Norman: The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, including both capital and resource funding, will support local authorities to provide tens of thousands of local chargepoints and transform the availability of charging for drivers without off-street parking. The LEVI Fund is allocated to Tier 1 local authorities (unitary, county council or combined authorities) in England on behalf of all their constituent authorities. Allocation of the capital funding is based on an assessment of need for EV charging. The assessment looked at the levels of residential off-street parking, progress of local authorities in developing their charging network to date, the rurality of a local authority and its level of deprivation. Together these aspects look to ensure that charging provision is developed across the country.

Motorway Service Areas: Electric Vehicles

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which motorway service areas have six or more rapid electric vehicle chargers; and what progress his Department has made on the target for all motorway service areas to have at least six rapid chargers by the end of 2023.

Jesse Norman: 96% of Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) have at least one rapid chargepoint. When the aim was announced, there were only 4 ultra-rapid chargepoints across MSAs in England. There are now over 260 ultra-rapid (150kw+) chargepoints, and more than 480 open-access (can be used with any electric vehicle) rapid (50kW) and ultra-rapid chargepoints at MSAs altogether.

Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative estimate he has made of the quantity of carbon dioxide that will be emitted in the event that the zero emission vehicle mandate is introduced in January (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Jesse Norman: The Department recently consulted on the proposed ZEV mandate and published a cost benefit analysis of the proposals alongside this. The Department will take the responses of this consultation into consideration and will bring forward the response shortly, which will include a comprehensive cost benefit analysis and potential carbon savings of the regulatory framework.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the final regulations for the zero emission car and van vehicle mandates.

Jesse Norman: The Department has recently consulted on the proposed ZEV mandate to gather stakeholder views on how the targets, trading schemes, and enforcement for this new policy framework should work. The Department will take these views into consideration as it is finalised and will bring forward the Government’s response to the consultation shortly.

Department for Transport: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Jesse Norman: The Secretary of State is responsible for the long-term strategy of the Department, while Ministers consider and assess the long-term challenges within their own portfolios and the Minister of State for Decarbonisation and Technology addresses those cross-cutting priorities.Staff across the Department are engaged in work which supports the Government’s long-term priorities. The number of officials that undertake horizon scanning and work on long-term priorities changes over time and is difficult to define, so it is not possible to provide a precise figure.

Department for Transport: Domestic Visits

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the (a) dates and (b) locations of each visit (i) he and (ii) Ministers in his Department made to a Government hub or ministerial office outside London in (A) 2022 and (B) 2023.

Jesse Norman: Current DfT Ministers have made visits to the following hubs/offices in 2022/2023: Mark Harper2023 – 12th April – Birmingham, 22nd June – Birmingham, 17th July – Birmingham Jesse Norman2023 - 22nd February – York Richard Holden2023 - 25th May – Birmingham, 22nd June – Birmingham, 13th July - Leeds Huw Merriman2023 – 9th Feb - Birmingham, 22nd June – Birmingham

Electric Scooters: Regulation

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the enforcement of regulations prohibiting the use of e-scooters on public (a) roads, (b) pavements and (c) cycle lanes.

Jesse Norman: The enforcement of road traffic law is an operational matter for the police. The Department has issued guidance to all local authorities and operators taking part in the trials, and local authorities in trial areas continue to engage with local police forces. The Government will continue to support the police by ensuring they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation including those relating to e-scooters.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Climate Change: Disinformation

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to tackle climate disinformation.

Graham Stuart: As published in Net Zero Growth Plan, the Government will set out further detail on how it will increase public engagement on net zero. This will include setting out how Government will (i) support public awareness of its actions through digital platforms, (ii) develop a roadmap setting out plans and proposals under net zero and (iii) construct a guiding framework, in conjunction with partners and trusted messengers, to amplify net zero messaging. Approaches to disinformation are being considered as part of this.

Energy: Meters

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many involuntary installations there have been since the introduction of the Code of Practice for the involuntary installation of pre-payment meters by each energy supply company in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland and in each constituency.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will request data from Ofgem on the number of people who (a) have gone off supply at the point of pre-payment meter installation, (b) have had involuntary pre-payment meters installed, (c) were given compensation as a result and (d) were returned to a non pre-payment method of payment in each of the last three years; and if he will request a breakdown of this data by (i) energy supply company for (A) England, (B) Scotland, (C) Wales and (D) Northern Ireland and (ii) parliamentary constituency.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will request data from Ofgem on (a) the number of customers subject to the involuntary installation of a pre-payment meter, (b) the proportion customers who were given a £30 credit per meter or a non disconnection period equivalent to that amount in each of the last three years; and he will request a breakdown by (i) energy supply company for (A) England, (B) Scotland, (C) Wales and (D) Northern Ireland and (ii) UK parliamentary constituency.

Amanda Solloway: The independent regulator Ofgem collects and publishes a range of data on pre-payment meters (PPMs), including the numbers of households that have been remotely switched to PPMs. Data is not available at parliamentary constituency level. On 13 September Ofgem published its decision on new rules for suppliers in relation to involuntary prepayment meter installations. These rules will be implemented into supplier licence conditions on 8th November and therefore become mandatory. The Code of Practice and current pause on involuntary prepayment meter installations that all suppliers have agreed to remain in place in the meantime.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Policy

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which Minister in their Department is responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges; and how many officials in their Department (a) undertake horizon scanning work and (b) focus on delivering long-term priorities.

Graham Stuart: All Ministers are responsible for overseeing work on long-term strategic challenges. Officials across the Department are engaged in horizon scanning work and delivering long-term priorities.

Ofgem: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people were employed by Ofgem to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity since 2020.

Amanda Solloway: All Ofgem employees are civil servants and Ofgem, as a Non-Ministerial Government Department, must have due regard to equality, diversity and inclusivity under the public sector equality duty when carrying out its activities. Ofgem has published a diversity and inclusivity strategy: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/ofgem-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2022

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to encourage developers to purchase off-shore wind contracts.

Graham Stuart: The UK is home to the four largest operational offshore wind farms thanks to its successful Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. Following the publication of the last CfD allocation round outcome on 8 September, the Government held a roundtable with the offshore wind sector on 12 September to discuss the results. Officials are analysing the results as they build the evidence base for the next round, which will open in March 2024. The timeline for the round has been published on the CfD microsite. Core parameters will be published in mid-November. These will be informed by updated evidence and benchmarked against industry intelligence. The Government will publish its methodology note at the same time.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Namibia: Economic Cooperation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Namibia.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Namibia will be one of 25 selected African countries attending the UK-African Investment Summit in April 2024, a high-level event promoting UK-African partnerships in trade and investment, finance, technology, clean energy, food security, critical minerals and women's entrepreneurship. There will be a particular focus on the UK's distinctive role in supporting the economic capabilities of the future (e.g. financial sectors; renewable energy) in African countries. The summit will provide an opportunity to enhance economic cooperation, with particular interest in Namibia's strong and progressive ambitions in the green hydrogen industry, which has strong potential to attract UK investment, fitting the UK's leadership in the renewable energy sector.

Morocco: Earthquakes

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with multilateral bodies on assistance for Morocco following the earthquake in that country.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bilateral assistance for Morocco following the earthquake in that country.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary has spoken to Foreign Minister Bourita and the UK remains in close contact with the Moroccan authorities. With their agreement, the UK has deployed a team of 62 search and rescue specialists and a four-person UKMED medical assessment team. We continue to liaise with Morocco, and with local and international partners, including NGOs, on how best to support Morocco's recovery efforts. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon has spoken to the UN's emergency relief coordinator about coordinating humanitarian support and ensuring a sustained humanitarian response.

Morocco: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals requested consular assistance in Morocco in the last month.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: According to our consular case management system, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provided consular assistance in 22 new cases for Morocco from 12 August 2023 to 12 September 2023. Following the tragic earthquake of 8 September, as of 12 September, the FCDO has received over 490 calls and over 30 written enquiries (by email and on social media) relating to British Nationals. Any British Nationals in Morocco who need consular support should contact us on +44 20 7008 5000 and sign up for alerts on the relevant foreign travel advice page [https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice].

Afghanistan: Women

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Ministers in his Department have had any (a) direct and (b) indirect engagement with representatives of the Taliban on access to education and employment for women in Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: Government Ministers do not meet with the Taliban. FCDO officials regularly meet with the Taliban on a broad range of issues including on access to education and women's employment in Afghanistan. The Foreign Secretary and his ministerial team regularly discuss Afghanistan during their international engagements.

Pakistan

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) security and (b) political situation in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: We regularly discuss shared threats with the Government of Pakistan, including those relating to terrorism and especially those coming from Afghanistan. UK counter-terrorism assistance to Pakistan has focussed on protecting civilians, strengthening rule of law and developing civilian counter-terrorism institutions.We continue to monitor the political situation in Pakistan closely. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke with the caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Jilani on 12 September, to emphasise the importance of peaceful democratic processes and human rights. In a letter to caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani on 21 August, Lord Ahmad emphasised the need for Pakistan's citizens to be able to exercise their democratic rights and participate in peaceful, inclusive, credible elections.

Afghanistan: Women

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with multilateral partners on the employment women in the aid sector in Afghanistan.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with multilateral partners on access to aid for women in Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government strongly condemns the Taliban's decision to ban Afghan women from working for the UN and NGOs in Afghanistan, including through an unanimously agreed UN Security Council Resolution on the 27 April, a G7 joint Foreign Ministers' statement on 8 March and G7 Leaders Communiqué on 20 May. We continue to work with the international community in pushing for women and girls' rights. In July Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, met the UN Special Co-ordinator Feridun Sinirlioğlu where both agreed that finding solutions to improve the situation for Afghan women and girls should be at the top of the international agenda.

Pakistan: Economic Cooperation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: The UK and Pakistan's economic relationship is supported by strong business links and people-to-people ties. The UK's new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) ensures that 94% of goods exported from Pakistan are eligible for duty-free access to the UK, saving £120 million in tariffs on exports. On 6 June, Lord Ahmad met with Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar to discuss trade. On 20 June the Minister for Development, Andrew Mitchell, spoke with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar about the importance of promoting economic stability in Pakistan.

Treasury

Financial Services: Environment Protection

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to include social-related disclosures in the Sustainability Disclosure Requirements regime.

Andrew Griffith: Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) form a framework to facilitate and streamline the flow of sustainability information between corporates, consumers, investors, and capital markets. The Government seeks to establish a balance between SDR requirements and not placing unique administrative burdens on businesses.

Self-employed: Fines

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of fines for late submission of tax returns by low-income self-employed individuals.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the hon Member to the reply given to the Member for Liverpool, West Derby, on 11 September 2023, UIN 197180.

Prison Officers: Retirement

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2023 to Question 197911 on Prison Officers: Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the pension age of prison officers to 60.

John Glen: The Government values hardworking prison officers and has recently accepted the recommendations of the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) for 2023/24 in full. Normal Pension Age in the civil service alpha scheme is set at a member’s State Pension age, and the Government notes the concerns raised in this regard by workforce representatives.

Monetary Policy: Inflation

Mark Logan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of quantitative easing on the rate of inflation.

Andrew Griffith: Monetary policy, including quantitative easing, is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England. The Government fully supports the Bank in their mission to drive down inflation and is working closely with the Bank to ensure that fiscal and monetary policy are well coordinated.The Government remains committed to monetary policy independence, and rightly does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Fraud

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been prosecuted for fraud relating to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as of 12 September 2023.

Victoria Atkins: Ongoing criminal investigation activity by HMRC against the covid support schemes has been reported in HMRC’s annual report and accounts 2022-23, which can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023. This ongoing activity has yet to be concluded within the criminal justice system and is subject to those timescales.As of 12 September 2023, there has been one prosecution resulting in a conviction for fraud related to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).